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My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies

The Best Biographies of Thomas Jefferson

16 Thursday May 2013

Posted by Steve in Best Biographies Posts , President #03 - T Jefferson

≈ 62 Comments

American history , best biographies , book reviews , Dumas Malone , John Boles , Jon Meacham , Joseph Ellis , Kevin Hayes , Merrill Peterson , presidential biographies , Presidents , Thomas Jefferson , Willard Sterne Randall

After nearly two months with Thomas Jefferson involving five biographies (ten books in total) and over 5,000 pages of reading, I still feel I know Jefferson less well than many other revolutionary-era figures…including some like Alexander Hamilton who I’ve only encountered through his numerous appearances in various presidential biographies.

But that’s part of the intriguing mystery that Jefferson presents – even the most dedicated Jefferson scholars such as Malone and Peterson have admitted difficulty in getting to know our third president on a personal level. In his biography of Jefferson, Merrill Peterson acknowledged being mortified in confessing he still found Jefferson “impenetrable” after years of study.

Part of what seems to make Jefferson so complex is that he is not merely a two-dimensional figure. The set of internal rules governing his behavior resembles a multi-variable differential equation whose output seems maddeningly inconsistent at times. But on a basic level, Jefferson is no different than most of us – guided by a small number of core convictions, steered by a larger set of general principles, and influenced by a broad group of more nebulous forces.

Only that smallest group of convictions seemed to guide Jefferson as if they were immutable laws of physics. His other principles and beliefs were more maleable, able to change under great strain, competing forces, or compelling circumstances of the moment. He was a passionately private man, yet ended up in public office for most of his adult life. He professed the evils of slavery, yet owned slaves (and may have even had a long-term relationship with one). He was intensely afraid of the power of a broad federal government under the direction of a strong president, yet as president did very little to curb that power and in many instances did just the opposite.

* Dumas Malone’s six-volume series (“Jefferson and His Time”) took over three decades to complete – it was begun when my parents were not old enough to walk, and finished when I was almost entering middle school. This series, to which Malone dedicated a huge chunk of his adult life, took me just five (rather intense) weeks to read.

Although this series does not receive high marks as a means of “entertainment” it receives the very best marks for its content and scholarship. The first five volumes won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975.

Volume 1 (“Jefferson the Virginian”) covers the first four decades of Jefferson’s life, up to the point when became a diplomat in Europe. Volume 2 (“Jefferson and the Rights of Man”) covers the years 1784-1792 which Jefferson spent in Europe as a diplomat and as George Washington’s first Secretary of State.

Volume 3 (“Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty”) covers the last year of Jefferson’s tenure as Secretary of State, his three-year retirement at Monticello, his years as John Adams’ Vice President and his election to the presidency in 1800. Volumes 4 and 5 (“Jefferson the President”) cover his eight year presidency while Volume 6 (“The Sage of Monticello”) covers the final seventeen years of Jefferson’s life.

As thorough and comprehensive as any biography on Jefferson could possibly be, the series suffers only from being less “readable” than more recent biographies which are written in modern, well-flowing verse, and perhaps for not addressing the Hemings controversy with evidence that has only recently come to light.

Malone’s series on Thomas Jefferson reminds me of Thomas Flexner’s series on Washington and Page Smith’s on John Adams – together, these three great works are in a class all to themselves. (Full reviews: Vol 1 , Vol 2 , Vol 3 , Vol 4 , Vol 5 , Vol 6 )

Merrill Peterson’s “ Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation, ” published in 1970, was written while Malone was about halfway through his series on Jefferson. In no other single-volume biography of any of our first three presidents can a reader find a more comprehensive book, chock-a-block with such an impressive level of relevant detail. Yet compared to Malone’s series, while it seems to contain proportionately similar granularity, it also seems to contain relatively fewer interesting conclusory remarks and insights.

Without a doubt, no serious library would be complete without a copy of Peterson’s classic. But with the benefit of hindsight, if I were forced to choose between reading Malone’s six-volume series or Peterson’s single-volume biography, I would not hesitate to invest the additional time required to experience Malone’s series. ( Full review here )

Joseph Ellis’s “ American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson ” was published in 1996, three years after he published his biography of John Adams. This is by far my favorite of Ellis’s books, and the second most “enjoyable” read among the Jefferson biographies.

Like each of Ellis’s works I’ve read so far, this book is not quite a biography and should not be read as such. In my opinion, the best way to enjoy “American Sphinx” is to first read either Malone’s series or Peterson’s biography. Ellis not only observes Jefferson’s behavior throughout life, as have other authors, but also synthesizes his observations into a set of characteristics that seems to have defined Jefferson’s personality. This book comes as close to getting into Jefferson’s mind as any book I’ve read. ( Full review here )

“ Twilight at Monticello: The Final Years of Thomas Jefferson ” by Alan Pell Crawford was published in 2008 and, despite a number of imperfections, proves quite an enjoyable and easy read. Although it exudes a slight tabloid “feel” Crawford has exploited a niche never before fully explored – even Malone’s last volume focusing on Jefferson’s retirement years seems slightly incomplete in hindsight.

By the end of the book, though, it feels as thought the author may have tried too hard to make his case. Rather than coming across as insightful and revealing, the book finally beings to feel hyperbolic and melodramatic. Nonetheless, as my next-to-last book on Jefferson, it was perfectly timed and absorbingly provocative. ( Full review here )

“ Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power ” by Jon Meacham was published in 2012 and is currently the most popular of the Jefferson biographies. As I’ve discovered from readers of this site, Meacham is a polarizing author. Those who love him do so because his primary mission seems to be to entertain and, only secondarily, to inform. Others find him distressing for exactly the same reason, sensing that he merely puts new wrapping paper on an old treasure.

But no matter your take on Meacham, “The Art of Power” is both easy and enjoyable to read. At times it is thoroughly engrossing and contains its own interesting perspective on Jefferson’s life. Although it is lighter on penetrating, recently-uncovered insights and heavier on clever one-liners than previous Jefferson biographies, it probably serves as the perfect “second” biography of Jefferson. ( Full review here )

– – – – – – –

[ Added January 2020 ]

* In 2013, I read four single-volume biographies of Jefferson and the six-volume series described above. Since then I’ve had the chance to read a biography of Jefferson I missed on that first trip through Jefferson: Willard Sterne Randall’s “ Thomas Jefferson: A Life ” which was published in 1993. But while it is uniquely valuable as a study of Jefferson’s legal studies and career, it covers most of the remainder of his life – including his presidency – with less dexterity and it turned out to be my least-favorite biography of Jefferson thus far. ( Full review here )

[ Added October 2021 ]

* I’ve also now read John Boles’s 2017 biography “ Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty .” With 520 pages of text, this biography proves uncommonly thoughtful, thorough and revealing. Boles expends no small effort in attempting to unravel Jefferson’s complexity and perplexing contradictions – including the large gap between his attitude toward slavery and his actions – and here the book is quite successful. Less ideal is the relative lack of focus on understanding and revealing Jefferson’s friendships with figures such as James Madison and John Adams. And Boles’s writing style, while crisp and articulate, is rarely particularly colorful or engrossing. But overall this is perhaps the best modern, single-volume introduction to Jefferson’s life and times. ( Full review here )

[ Added August 2022 ]

* Published in 2008, Kevin Hayes’s “ The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson ” is a dense, detailed 644-page intellectual biography of the third president focused on the literature he read, wrote and collected. Although it provides much of the framework of a traditional biography, it is decidedly not one and cannot serve as an adequate substitute for anyone seeking a thorough and broad introduction to Jefferson. The natural audience for this book is quite limited, but for someone already familiar with T.J. who is interested in exploring his intellectual evolution through an analysis of the words that shaped his world, this book may prove ideal. ( Full review here )

[ Added December 2022 ]

* Published two weeks ago, Fred Kaplan’s “ His Masterly Pen: A Biography of Jefferson the Writer ” resembles Kevin Hayes’s “The Road to Monticello” – in spirit . However, the two books are quite different in approach. This book by Kaplan looks deceptively like a traditional biography – its chapters proceed chronologically and the narrative includes large chunks of Jefferson’s non -literary life. But it’s focus is on understanding Jefferson’s character, contradictions and philosophy as revealed by his letters, speeches, declarations and books (and not by the books he bought, borrowed or merely read). As a supplemental text for readers acquainted with Jefferson, this book may prove uniquely intellectual and insightful. For readers seeking a traditional biography of Jefferson it is not ideal. ( Full review here )

Best Overall: Dumas Malone’s six-volume series

Most Enjoyable Biography: “ Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power ”

Best Single-Volume Biography: “ Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty ”

Malone, of course did not have DNA, however, if you look closely at the evidence he did have, he systematically approached what was available to reach a preconceived conclusion. Malone knew that Sally’s children were TJ’s and wrote it otherwise. He simply could not abandon his position as the pied piper of the TJ cult.

And while his work is masterful. It is important to understand his limitations in being objective.

October 15, 2013 at 12:59 pm

Unfortunately I started my book on TJ – “In Pursuit of Reason” by Noble Cunningham – before discovering your blog, and stupidly chose it only because it was $1 in my library’s bookstore. It wasn’t awful, just not terribly well written or compelling. I’ll happily admit that I’m interested in the presidents’ family lives as well as their political lives, and this was one shortcoming in Cunningham’s book, though not the only one. I think it’s a problem that the author did not even mention the Sally Hemings scandal, since it did come out during TJ’s presidency, via a man who had turned against TJ. The scandal was discussed in McCullough’s book on John Adams, and in the book I just finished on Madison (by Brookhiser). To have it ignored in a TJ bio seemed disingenuous, to put it nicely. I honestly feel I learned more about TJ the man (not the pol) from the Adams bio than from Cunningham’s book!

April 5, 2014 at 9:17 am

Just discovered your site — really good work. In your work on Jefferson did you run into any assessment of Fawn Brodie’s controversial bio?

May 24, 2014 at 5:46 am

Not in the biographies themselves, but there were numerous references to Fawn Brodie’s work in reviews I later read of the books I had read, and one of my frequent visitors makes no secret of his views: http://practicallyhistorical.net/?s=fawn+brodie

April 5, 2014 at 9:39 am

In your readings on Jefferson, did you ever run into any assessments of Fawn Brodie’s controversial biography?

April 5, 2014 at 1:42 pm

None of the books I read referenced Brodie’s biography in a substantive way (not that I remember, anyway) though I recall thee book being referenced in the bibliography of a few. I shied away from Brodie when I was selecting Jefferson bios to read given the overwhelming and consistently negative feedback I saw, but it’s on my “must read” list for my second pass through the presidents – out of curiosity, if nothing else.

April 5, 2014 at 1:51 pm

I also found the following assessment of Brodie’s biography thought-provoking (so much so that it convinced me to add the book to my follow-up list on Jefferson: http://practicallyhistorical.net/2013/03/06/classic-historical-takedowns-pt-1-2/

April 14, 2015 at 2:31 pm

I’d also toss into the mix Henry Wiencek’s “Master of the Mountain.” Like American Sphinx, not a full bio, and even less complimentary. But a fully documented dismantling of many of the myths that surround Jefferson and much Jefferson scholarship.

June 13, 2015 at 1:09 pm

I have also been reading presidential bios in order and am just finishing Trefousse’s Andrew Johnson. I’m wondering if you read Willard Sterne Randall’s Jefferson: A Life and what your thoughts were. So glad to find your blog….onto Grant!

June 14, 2015 at 6:21 pm

Good luck finishing up the A Johnson bio(!) I have not read Willard Sterne Randall’s bio of Jefferson – if you have, let me know what you thought. I seem to remember looking it up and finding it got mixed reviews, and since I had what I thought was a full plate of Jefferson bios I didn’t add it into the mix.

June 17, 2015 at 7:38 am

Randall did a very good job of detailing Jefferson’s early life. His Presidency was not emphasized as much, but there are plenty of other great books that do that as you have pointed out. The focus is more on his early life and his years in France. It was a nice insight into the man. Randall’s writing style can be a bit meandering and repetitive, something that he corrects in his Alexander Hamilton bio, but overall I felt It was a worthy read.

November 5, 2015 at 4:29 pm

One short bio that merits attention is RB Bernstein’s very fine study for Oxford’s series of shorter biographies. I recall a lot of insight in a very little space (<300 pages) in this volume. Felt like I had a better understanding of the man and his legacy than Meacham.

November 6, 2015 at 7:27 am

Thanks, I’ve had a couple people tell me I need to read that one (as sort of a turbo-charged substitute for an American President Series bio of Jefferson) so I’ll probably add it to my follow-up list.

September 22, 2017 at 5:37 pm

I agree enthusiastically with you about the brief R.B. Bernstein biography of Thomas Jefferson.

March 3, 2016 at 7:19 pm

not even a mention of Henry Adams’s work on the jefferson administration?

March 10, 2016 at 3:37 pm

Steve, have you been inclined to read Chernow’s Hamilton biography, or another Hamilton work, during your journey? Reading through biographies of Washington and Adams and gearing up for Jefferson and Madison it feels like not reading a Hamilton biography would do a disservice to the revolutionary era. Also thank you for the recommendation of Ferling’s John Adams: A Life, really enjoying it.

March 14, 2016 at 7:01 am

Will, I do have a large-ish (and ever expanding!) list of biographies I would like to read about the supporting cast of characters who worked with the presidents over time. One of the first to make the list was Alexander Hamilton (I’ve owned the Chernow bio of Hamilton longer than I’ve owned his book on Washington!) I haven’t given myself the flexibility of reading these non-presidential biographies yet for fear I would never get through the presidents themselves, but I really can’t wait to read about Hamilton, Ben Franklin, Calhoun, Henry Clay, Seward, Elihu Root, etc.

November 2, 2016 at 4:56 pm

I’m currently reading Brands bio of Franklin, then moving on to Chernow’s Hamilton as preludes before starting on Washington in January

November 2, 2016 at 5:01 pm

I have to admit to being a bit jealous – those are two of the non -presidential biographies that are sitting in front of me begging to be read! I hope you enjoy them and let me know what you’re reading when you work through the presidents!

September 2, 2016 at 11:51 am

Six volumes for the first two presidents, doubled as I read Dumas Malone’s six volume series. This was a serious investment in time, but absolutely worth it. I found a set of 5 on eBay in very good shape with djs and had to obviously buy one separately. After finishing I felt like I had lost a friend, the books were so absorbing. Even when I am done with this journey, I don’t feel like I need to read any more on Jefferson, I understand him as much as possible as a man and politician.

September 2, 2016 at 8:46 pm

Congrats on getting through so many volumes in your first three presidents! With limited time I don’t think you can go wrong with Chernow (Wash), McCullough (Adams) and Meacham (Jefferson) but the Flexner, Smith and Malone series on those three really provide penetrating, readable depth that’s hard to find in single-volume biographies. I can’t wait to see where you go from here!

October 13, 2016 at 3:15 pm

This one may answer my question! Loved Chernow’s Washington and am now finishing McCullough’s Adams, which I’ve also enjoyed. Given that, and given that I want to stick to one volume, would Meacham be your recommendation here?

October 13, 2016 at 3:41 pm

If I had to read a single-volume bio of Washington I would probably choose Meacham’s (with Ellis’s in second place). But be forewarned…based on comments I’ve gotten it is clear that “The Art of Power” appeals to most people (as it did me) but there is a not insignificant group who felt let down by the book for one reason or another. If you read it let me know what you thought! (As you probably know I loved the Washington and Adams bios you read. LOVED them.)

January 9, 2017 at 4:03 pm

Finished “The Art of Power,” it was a bit up and down for me, but I liked it on the whole, as I thought that it gave a really good insight into the way Jefferson thought and worked. I did find it to be lacking in detail and context for many of the events Jefferson lived through. McCullough and Chernow, for example, seemed to delve more deeply into the events of Adams’s and Washington’s lifetimes and give you a better sense of understanding of the age. Meachem seemed to give a very brief (couple paragraphs) intro, then moved immediately to how Jefferson interpreted it and exercised his power. They also seemed to spend more time than Meachem introducing and providing meaningful insight on the other power players so you had a better sense of the people their subjects were working with/around.

Having said that, I thought it provided a really fair assessment of TJ, without overly glorifying him and didn’t ignore his many faults. I also thought it did a nice job of going out of its way to be fair to Hamilton’s point of view, and noted that neither Jefferson or Hamilton was the caricature that their opponents (up to the modern day) have painted of them. On the same note, however, I felt it was at times unfairly critical of Adams, but maybe that was just because I had just finished McCullough’s book!

Maybe since Jefferson was more of a personal enigma than Washington or Adams, that’s what consumed Meachem’s efforts, but I felt that if I hadn’t already had a fairly strong grasp on the events of the 1770s-1800s I might have been lost at certain points in this book.

Taking a bit of a presidential break and moving to Hamilton and Lafayette bios next, but I’ll be back for Madison soon, so I’m sure you’ll hear from me again!

January 2, 2017 at 3:24 pm

I’m curious if anyone has an opinion about Fawn Brodie’s, “Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History,” which I just started reading on the heels of completing Ron Chernow’s superb Washington biography. Brodie is interesting so far, but it doesn’t seem to be in the first rank of presidential bios. Any thoughts?

January 2, 2017 at 3:39 pm

I’ve not read Brodie’s biography but it receives reviews “all over the map.” These two discussions caught my eye back when I was deciding which Jefferson bios to read: Gary Wills’ note and Practically Historical blog’s view .

January 2, 2017 at 3:41 pm

Thanks Steve! I’ll check ’em out.

September 22, 2017 at 5:34 pm

Excellent job with your website. It is one of a kind. Thank you. I agree with your reviews and rankings of biographies — at least the ones I have read. I have not read as many as you.

For example, the FDR biographies you reviewed and the ranked order of those books is spot on.

For Thomas Jefferson, I think an important brief book to add to your list is “Thomas Jefferson” by R.B. Bernstein. A brief biography of this character, who I understand and love (despite his shortcomings), is nearly impossible. I loved this brief book.

Again, thank you for your website.

February 21, 2018 at 3:49 pm

I am curious if you’ve looked at, or if any one else has, Alf Mapp’s two volume bio on Jefferson from the 1980s, “Passionate Pilgrim” and “The Strange Case of Mistaken Identity.” I own this set but haven’t read it yet. I’ve generally heard good things about it, and know it was well regarded upon its release.

February 22, 2018 at 8:22 am

I never ran across these biographies until well after I finished Jefferson. Because they seem rarely read, I haven’t come across any particularly insightful reviews (not that I’ve looked all that hard) so I’ve got these sitting in a list that’s the literary equivalent of purgatory – I’m not sure whether to make them part of the my follow-up list or whether to avoid them altogether. If you or anyone else does or has read these volumes, I’d love to know what the verdict is…!

February 22, 2018 at 9:45 am

I’d suggest leaving Mapp’s books in purgatory. Your follow-up list is already massive (and will undoubted grow), includes three (four if you count Dr. Wood’s Friends Divided) Jefferson titles already, and the Jefferson literature is vast enough to keep it there.

By the way, Friends Divided is a wonderful book. The last few chapters dealing with their reconciliation and correspondence are the best parts. Summed up nicely by the final sentence comparing Jefferson’s Idealism v Adams’s Realism: “That’s why we honor Jefferson and not Adams.”

April 3, 2018 at 11:51 am

How would you rate Mapp’s books? Since I already own them, I’m curious now if they’re still worth reading, or if they’re only sub par. Given the amount of Jefferson scholarship, I can see why you’d recommend not adding them to the follow-up list, even if they’re worth reading. They may not offer anything unique enough to warrant reading them after having already read so much! I do plan on reading Malone’s 6 volume work first, as I already own that one as well.

April 7, 2018 at 12:42 pm

I don’t think you can really understand Jefferson until you understand Hamilton. I suggest Alexander Hamilton by Chernow.

April 8, 2018 at 4:15 am

That is the very first “non presidential biography” I’m planning to read once I get through Obama…!

February 26, 2020 at 4:43 pm

I would love some advise on choosing a single-volume biography on Jefferson. I am interested in Meacham’s “The Art of Power,” But I’ve also seen good reviews of the 2017 bio “Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty” by John B. Boles.

Most posts above were made prior to the latter’s publishing. I would love to hear some thoughts on either (or both for those who have read them). With opinion of Jefferson being so varied and he being so complicated a person, I am looking for the most “fair” and informative bio.

February 26, 2020 at 4:48 pm

For what it’s worth, I’m also looking forward to hearing from anyone who has feedback on Boles’s biography. Earlier this year I read Willard Sterne Randall’s bio of Jefferson but wonder whether I should have tackled Boles’s instead…?

May 9, 2020 at 5:04 am

I’ve read both Boles and Meacham, but not Randall (not yet, at least). I think Boles’s book was definitely more on the “informative” side of the scale, as compared to Meacham’s, which is more on the “entertaining” side. So for anyone trying to choose between the two, it really depends which kind of treatment is most appealing to you.

To me, Boles’s book was more factual and straightforward and not as much of an enjoyable, engaging read, to the point that his depiction of Jefferson made him feel a little lifeless and passive – things just happened to Jefferson and he went along with them, as opposed to Meacham’s depiction of an active, ambitious Jefferson who knew what he wanted and controlled his own destiny. I get the sense the truth was somewhere in between.

Joseph Ellis’s was my favorite Jefferson book, but I think you have to read a full-scale biography like Boles or Meacham first before you can fully appreciate Ellis.

So while they all have their strengths, none, to me, stand out as being a definitive single-volume Jefferson biography. Maybe he’s just too complicated to cover in just one book!

August 12, 2020 at 8:48 am

Six months later you have probably solved this dilemma, but I have read the Meacham book and the Ellis book. In my opinion the Meacham book reads like a collection of chronological facts about Jefferson with not much attempt to provide any insight into Jefferson or any context for his actions.

The Ellis book is much better in my opinion but it is not a biography, as stated above. You might want to read the Meacham book first just to get an idea of what his life was like. You might also want to read a general history of America during the Revolution and the Early Republic years just to get a sense of historical context to Jefferson’s actions.

August 12, 2020 at 8:54 am

Your note & observation underscores one of the numerous reasons I’m now glad I didn’t initially choose “just one” biography per president to read – different authors with differing styles, often from different eras themselves, with access to different information each create a uniquely informative view of their subject. Reading several books on someone (like Jefferson in particular!) provides a far more nuanced, colorful and often complicated portrait of the person. I do think Meacham and Ellis create a particularly interesting duo when attempting to uncover Jefferson (who, I must say, remains a mystery to me even today)…

August 3, 2020 at 2:29 pm

Has anyone read: 1. The Life of Thomas Jefferson. Three volumes. by Henry S Randall? or 2. The Life of Thomas Jefferson William Linn?

These are efforts from the 1800s.

November 6, 2020 at 8:12 pm

I have not read either, but Randall’s may be interesting. He was the first (only?) biographer to interview Jefferson’s immediate family.

For reading and historical purposes there are probably much better options, but the immediacy of it is interesting.

November 7, 2020 at 10:21 am

Thank you for your comments. Randall looks interesting.

January 7, 2021 at 12:25 pm

I’d like to have your thoughts on Boles’ Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty. Having just read Chernow’s Hamilton, which is pretty negative about TJ, I’ve seen comments that Boles offers a more balanced perspective.

January 7, 2021 at 1:37 pm

I haven’t read Boles’s biography of Jefferson yet. It was published after I’d already gotten through my biographies of Jefferson, but I’ve added it to my “follow-up” list and plan to read it later this year.

January 23, 2021 at 11:26 pm

I finally got a chance to go over to the next town and hit their used bookstores.

I was able to procure an immaculate like new set of Dumas’ 6 volumes for just $35 total.

Also found Rayback’s Millard Fillmore (Easton Press edition) for just $10.

And then I ran over to the other store and found a copy of Peterson’s Jefferson biography for $7.

Was completely happy with my trip as I have all the biographies I wanted for the first 3 presidents.

January 25, 2021 at 5:27 am

I wish my town had a next-town-over with a bookstore like that!

March 13, 2021 at 8:00 pm

I posted briefly on the Madison discussion about Meacham’s Art of Power, and I was just really disappointed by that one. Unfortunately, unless I venture into Malone’s six-volume series, I might not find what I am looking for (and even with this there is still no guarantee). The one beacon of hope of finding a good one-volume bio might be with Boles. I am really hoping you can review that soon, because I really don’t want to sit down for another disappointing Jefferson experience!

In my opinion, Meacham gives only a very broad overview of the life of Jefferson. All of the details, especially the political interactions, seem to be given only superficial treatment. So many of the concluding thoughts of the author read like a high school term paper (like somewhat cringe-worthy filler material). It seems strange that I obtained a better understanding of Jefferson’s mind through his cameo appearances in other books. This is surprising, especially considering that over 200 pages of this volume are dedicated solely to notes. Even then, some of the conclusions are suspect.

For example, Meacham states that the causes of the revolution are not quite clear, and then goes on to suggest it was merely the brainchild of plantation owners who were heavily in debt to Britain and who didn’t like the idea of being taxed, and that Britain’s treatment of the colonies really wasn’t all that bad. Maybe this is true for some folks in Virginia, but thankfully I found much more thorough explanations in recent reads of H.W. Brands’ biography on Franklin and Les Standiford’s Desperate Sons. I was also disappointed that there was hardly more than a couple of pages dedicated to the debate and internal controversy of the Louisiana Purchase, as well as over the repeal of and passage of new Judicial Acts. These seem to be the most important parts of the Jefferson presidency, and yet, I learned next to nothing.

For a book titled “The Art of Power”, I really expected a greater in-depth look at the political dealings of Jefferson. Instead, we just get a broad overview of his personal life, and politics seem somewhat ancillary to that discussion.

March 15, 2021 at 8:19 am

Of all the books I’ve enjoyed over the years, this is the one that people seem to disagree on the most. In hindsight, most of the criticism is well-deserved but at the time I remember finding Meacham’s treatment more readable and penetrating if not quite as thorough as much of what I read elsewhere (with Malone and Peterson most notably and in most instances).

I was hoping to fall in love with Willard Sterne Randall’s bio of Jefferson, or perhaps John Boles 2017 biography. The former was disappointing. The latter is on tap for later this year!

March 19, 2021 at 8:18 pm

I just finished Boles’ biography and it is one of the finest biographies I’ve ever read. It is well-written. He is even-handed. His discussion of slavery and Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings is thorough. I cannot imagine a better treatment of the Jeffersonian paradox: a man who enslaved other human beings, but was also thwarted in his efforts to move the country toward gradual emancipation – and then he didn’t even free most of his own slaves in his will (paradox x 2). Boles ponders the questions these facts raise. He covers all periods of Jefferson’s life. It is well-researched. And the bibliographical essay at the end almost by itself makes owning the book worthwhile. I could not have been more pleased. Thanks, Steve, for your excellent work.

March 20, 2021 at 4:32 am

Well…now I’m REALLY looking forward to reading Boles’s bio of Jefferson later this year (currently scheduled for September)!

March 20, 2021 at 5:03 pm

Hi Mark, if you don’t mind my asking, how well did Boles’ go into other controversial details? For context, I should have been a bit more specific in my criticisms of Meacham in my earlier comment. In terms of Sally Hemings and the contradiction of Jefferson’s slave ownership, I think that this was actually the strongest aspect of the Art of Power (although I have read some criticize that perhaps Meacham did not explore the nature of the relationship more, i.e., the possible power and subservient dynamics of such a relationship). I was instead concerned with other controversies and contradictions that may not be as popularly known, but which I find fascinating. Some examples, all of which are either glossed over or not mentioned at all by Meacham:

1. Chapter 23 of Hamilton: “Citizen Genêt … wanted the United States to extend more funds to France and supply foodstuffs and other army provisions. Much more controversially, he wanted to strike blows against Spanish and British possessions in North America and was ready to hire secret agents for that purpose. Jefferson became his clandestine accomplice when he furnished Genêt with a letter introducing a French botanist named André Michaux to the governor of Kentucky. Michaux planned to arm Kentuckians and stir up frontier settlements in Spanish Louisiana. Jefferson’s aid violated the policy of neutrality and made Hamilton’s unauthorized talks with George Beckwith seem like tame indiscretions in comparison.” I don’t know what others believe, but this seems borderline treasonous to me.

2. Chapter 2 of “Three Lives of James Madison” notes that as governor of Virginia, Jefferson secretly imprisoned British General Henry Hamilton in the dungeon of the Williamsburg jail for nearly two years, even after General Washington advised Jefferson to release him (Madison was also complicit in this). The implication was that they might have been attempting to conceal atrocities committed by the Virginia militia against native civilians, and that Hamilton’s release was conditioned on his silence. 3. Jefferson’s many contradictions regarding the French Revolution, not the least of which his previous admiration of Louis XVI and subsequent ambivalence over his murder and several other officers who served alongside American soldiers in the Revolutionary War.

4. Freneu’s newspaper – Jefferson putting an obviously unqualified person on the State Department payroll in order to entice (i.e., bribe or finance) a partisan newspaper.

5. Completely brushing off Shay’s Rebellion – “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants”. Incomprehensible words, really, from a figure in government.

Thank you in advance for indulging me! I know this is somewhat detailed and specific. Just hoping to not have to dive into the six-volume series if Boles does the job.

March 21, 2021 at 8:31 am

Hi Brandon: I’m not sure my response will make your decision any easier, but here goes.

1. Boles’ definitely discusses Genet and Michaux, but to me Jefferson does not come across in the book as a clandestine accomplice.

2. I am finishing a book on Baron de Steuben now and the “Three Lives of James Madison” is my next book. I regret to say that I remember nothing about Henry Hamilton in Boles’ book and there is no mention of the name in the index under Hamilton. I should add that the text of the Boles book is a mere 520 pages. He mentions in the acknowledgements that he submitted a much longer manuscript. Perhaps his discussion of this episode ended up on the cutting room floor.

3. Certainly, there is much in the book about Jefferson’s attitudes toward France and his time there. My sense is that the Federalists – Hamilton, Adams, and Gouverneur Morris – were more hypocritical in their views of the revolution than Jefferson. They clearly viewed the revolutionaries in France as the rabble. Jefferson enjoyed the finer things that France offered and this can appear as an inconsistency. But ultimately, he was true to his republican principles, Boles would say almost to a fault. Boles states, Jefferson “was almost in a state of denial regarding matters in France, or, perhaps more accurately, he was willing to tolerate dreadful means for such an important end.” 242. Without question, Boles includes some Jefferson quotes that can make Jefferson seem callous when it comes to bloodshed and loss of life. But Boles does a good job of contextualizing Jefferson’s statements to make them a bit less damning.

4. Boles definitely addresses the Freneau newspaper controversy. It’s hard to tell whether it would be in sufficient detail to satisfy you. Hamilton’s use of John Fenno was almost, not quite maybe, as objectionable. I think the closeness of these politicians to these newspaper men shocks our conscience today, but rules regarding conflicts of interest and the like were a little less formal back then. Despite his mild manners, Jefferson could be a no holds barred type of guy. The fact that Jefferson wasn’t drummed out of government when the whole Freneau thing came to light shows the differences between then and now.

5. I thought I remembered the language you quoted, but I couldn’t find it when I went back to look for it. (That doesn’t mean it isn’t in there; I just couldn’t locate it.) Nonetheless, Boles does reference Jefferson’s views on Shay’s Rebellion. Of course, it’s critical to keep in mind that Jefferson was in France when it occurred. Boles states, Jefferson “missed how seriously many in the United States took the threat.” (Please see answer to #3 about Jefferson’s callousness.)

What I liked about the Boles book is his effort to contextualize the things that Jefferson said and did, but it didn’t come across as hagiographic. I loved the book, but Jefferson as a person continues to disappoint as compared with the Jefferson many of us were taught to revere in grade school.

That’s all I’ve got. Not sure this really helps you. Boles does a stellar job in 520 pages, but it’s tough to compete in terms of comprehensiveness with six volumes.

October 28, 2021 at 12:33 pm

Totally agree with your assessment of John Boles’ biography of Jefferson. I found him sympathetic but critical to his subject – a masterful, thoughtful treatment of a life lived in its historical context. I felt he spoke effectively to many of the contemporary controversies surrounding Jefferson’s legacy. Have you read Kevin Hayes’ The Road to Monticello? Another terrific insight into Jefferson’s life.

January 7, 2023 at 10:52 am

I realize I’m replying to my original reply, but I was drawn back to this page by the recent activity (see below). Regarding Tim Rosenfield’s comment, which should be above, and Steve’s subsequent review, I wondered the extent to which Kevin Hayes in The Road to Monticello addressed the evolution of Jefferson’s views on slavery. How did he evolve from someone who apparently at one point believed in gradual emancipation to someone who didn’t free most of his slaves at his death? Is this discussed in Hayes’ book? (I still haven’t read the Hayes book despite the comment below.) Are there other recent studies of Jefferson that delve into this topic in any detail? Thanks.

October 28, 2021 at 5:34 pm

I have not read the Hayes’ book, but it looks interesting. I will add it to my very long list. Thank you for the recommendation.

March 18, 2022 at 10:17 am

Thank you so much for this website and all the work you have put into it (and time spent reading)! Have you heard much about Christopher Hitchens’ “Thomas Jefferson: Author of America”? I was discussing my presidential reading campaign with my English professor the other day (some 12 years after I took his class) and he said it was excellent. Hitchens seems like an interesting fellow, though maybe a little sharp around the edges, and am curious how a personality like that examines a president like Jefferson. Thanks again!

March 21, 2022 at 5:38 am

I’ve heard about it but haven’t read it. Hitchens was, indeed, a fascinating fellow, and at some point I’ll probably read his book on Jefferson. But for the moment I have too many traditional biographies to get to, so I’ll probably wait on this for awhile.

January 6, 2023 at 5:59 am

Hi there! I am such a fan of this site and probably browse it daily at this point, reading various reviews, etc.

I would love to know which of TJ’s biographies gave the most extensive treatment of the Burr Conspiracy. Do you remember off hand?

January 7, 2023 at 6:48 am

The Malone series probably provided the most thorough review, followed by Merrill Peterson’s biography. After that, I’d say the most useful coverage was probably Jon Meacham’s.

January 7, 2023 at 7:15 am

Malone, of course, will win on sheer page count. However, he his rarely objective when it comes to TJ the man of marble. Always the highest and best motives attached, whilst is opponents make up a who’s who rogue gallery of miscreants and Burr is enemy number one.

There are a number of book length studies on the conspiracy as such that provide a more balanced approach and wider source use than Malone.

The debate over Burr will never end because it rests at the very interpretation of what America could be, should be and sometimes actually is. Thus every generation will rework the Burr conspiracy influenced by more contemporary events.

The 10 Best Books on President Thomas Jefferson

Essential books on thomas jefferson.

There are countless books on Thomas Jefferson, and it comes with good reason, aside from serving as America’s third President (1801-1809), he was a founding father and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

“Determine never to be idle,” he remarked. “No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing.”

In order to get to the bottom of what inspired one of history’s most consequential figures to the heights of societal contribution, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best books on Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham

Thomas Jefferson hated confrontation, and yet his understanding of power and of human nature enabled him to move men and to marshal ideas, to learn from his mistakes, and to prevail. Passionate about many things – women, his family, books, science, architecture, gardens, friends, Monticello, and Paris – Jefferson loved America most, and he strove over and over again, despite fierce opposition, to realize his vision: the creation, survival, and success of popular government in America.

Jon Meacham lets us see Jefferson’s world as Jefferson himself saw it, and to appreciate how Jefferson found the means to endure and win in the face of rife partisan division, economic uncertainty, and external threat. Drawing on archives in the United States, England, and France, as well as unpublished Jefferson presidential papers, Meacham presents Jefferson as the most successful political leader of the early republic, and perhaps in all of American history.

The father of the ideal of individual liberty, of the Louisiana Purchase, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and of the settling of the West, Jefferson recognized that the genius of humanity – and the genius of the new nation – lay in the possibility of progress, of discovering the undiscovered and seeking the unknown.

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade

When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary Coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new country could afford.

Over the previous 15 years, as a diplomat and then as secretary of state, Jefferson had tried to work with the Barbary states (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco). Unfortunately, he found it impossible to negotiate with people who believed their religion justified the plunder and enslavement of non-Muslims.

These rogue states would show no mercy – at least not while easy money could be made by extorting America, France, England, and other powers. So President Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the US Navy’s new warships and a detachment of marines to blockade Tripoli – launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America’s journey toward future superpower status.

American Sphinx by Joseph J. Ellis

For a man who insisted that life on the public stage was not what he had in mind, Thomas Jefferson certainly spent a great deal of time in the spotlight – and not only during his active political career. After 1809, his longed-for retirement was compromised by a steady stream of guests and tourists who made of his estate at Monticello a virtual hotel, as well as by more than one thousand letters per year, most from strangers, which he insisted on answering personally.

In his twilight years Jefferson was already taking on the luster of a national icon, which was polished off by his auspicious death (on July 4, 1826); and in the subsequent seventeen decades of his celebrity – now verging, thanks to virulent revisionists and television documentaries, on notoriety – has been inflated beyond recognition of the original person.

For the historian Joseph J. Ellis, the experience of writing about Jefferson was “as if a pathologist, just about to begin an autopsy, has discovered that the body on the operating table was still breathing.” In this gem among books on Thomas Jefferson, Ellis sifts the facts shrewdly from the legends and the rumors, treading a path between vilification and hero worship in order to formulate a plausible portrait of the man who still today “hover[s] over the political scene like one of those dirigibles cruising above a crowded football stadium, flashing words of inspiration to both teams.”

Jefferson and Hamilton by John Ferling

The decade of the 1790s has been called the “age of passion.” Fervor ran high as rival factions battled over the course of the new republic – each side convinced that the other’s goals would betray the legacy of the Revolution so recently fought and so dearly won. All understood as well that what was at stake was not a moment’s political advantage, but the future course of the American experiment in democracy. In this epochal debate, no two figures loomed larger than Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

Both men were visionaries, but their visions of what the United States should be were diametrically opposed. Jefferson, a true revolutionary, believed passionately in individual liberty and a more egalitarian society, with a weak central government and greater powers for the states. Hamilton, a brilliant organizer and tactician, feared chaos and social disorder. He sought to build a powerful national government that could ensure the young nation’s security and drive it toward economic greatness.

This is the story of the fierce struggle – both public and, ultimately, bitterly personal – between these two titans. It ended only with the death of Hamilton in a pistol duel, felled by Aaron Burr, Jefferson’s vice president.

Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles

John B. Boles plumbs every facet of Jefferson’s life, all while situating him amid the sweeping upheaval of his times. We meet Jefferson the politician and political thinker – as well as Jefferson the architect, scientist, bibliophile, paleontologist, musician, and gourmet. We witness him drafting the Declaration of Independence, negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, and inventing a politics that emphasized the states over the federal government – a political philosophy that shapes our national life to this day.

Boles offers new insight into Jefferson’s actions and thinking on race. His Jefferson is not a hypocrite, but a tragic figure – a man who could not hold simultaneously to his views on abolition, democracy, and patriarchal responsibility. Yet despite his flaws, Jefferson’s ideas would outlive him and make him into nothing less than the architect of American liberty.

Madison and Jefferson by Andrew Burstein

The third and fourth presidents have long been considered proper gentlemen, with Thomas Jefferson’s genius overshadowing James Madison’s judgment and common sense. But in this revelatory book about their crucial partnership, both are seen as men of their times, hardboiled operatives in a gritty world of primal politics where they struggled for supremacy for more than fifty years.

With a thrilling and unprecedented account of early America as its backdrop, this gem among books on Thomas Jefferson reveals these founding fathers as privileged young men in a land marked by tribal identities rather than a united national personality. Esteemed historians Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg capture Madison’s hidden role – he acted in effect as a campaign manager – in Jefferson’s career. In riveting detail, the authors chart the courses of two very different presidencies: Jefferson’s driven by force of personality, Madison’s sustained by a militancy that history has been reluctant to ascribe to him.

Friends Divided by Gordon S. Wood

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could scarcely have come from more different worlds, or been more different in temperament. Jefferson, the optimist with enough faith in the innate goodness of his fellow man to be democracy’s champion, was an aristocratic Southern slaveowner, while Adams, the overachiever from New England’s rising middling classes, painfully aware he was no aristocrat, was a skeptic about popular rule and a defender of a more elitist view of government.

They worked closely in the crucible of revolution, crafting the Declaration of Independence and leading, with Franklin, the diplomatic effort that brought France into the fight. But ultimately, their profound differences would lead to a fundamental crisis, in their friendship and in the nation writ large, as they became the figureheads of two entirely new forces, the first American political parties. It was a bitter breach, lasting through the presidential administrations of both men, and beyond.

Jefferson and the Virginians by Peter Onuf

In Jefferson and the Virginians , renowned scholar Peter S. Onuf examines the ways in which Thomas Jefferson and his fellow Virginians – George Washington, James Madison, and Patrick Henry – both conceptualized their home state from a political and cultural perspective, and understood its position in the new American union. The conversations Onuf reconstructs offer glimpses into the struggle to define Virginia – and America – within the context of the upheaval of the Revolutionary War.

Onuf contends that Jefferson and his interlocutors sought to define Virginia’s character as a self-constituted commonwealth and to determine the state’s place in the American union during an era of constitutional change and political polarization. Thus, the outcome of the American Revolution led to ongoing controversies over the identity of Virginians and Americans as a “people” or “peoples;” over Virginia’s boundaries and jurisdiction within the union; and over the system of government in Virginia and for the states collectively.

“Those Who Labor For My Happiness” by Lucia Stanton

Our perception of life at Monticello has changed dramatically over the past quarter-century. The image of an estate presided over by a benevolent Thomas Jefferson has given way to a more complex view of Monticello as a working plantation, the success of which was made possible by the work of slaves. At the center of this transition has been the work of Lucia “Cinder” Stanton, recognized as the leading interpreter of Jefferson’s life as a planter and master and of the lives of his slaves and their descendants.

Stanton’s pioneering work deepened our understanding of Jefferson without demonizing him. But perhaps even more important is the light her writings have shed on the lives of the slaves at Monticello. Her detailed reconstruction for modern readers of slaves’ lives vividly reveals their active roles in the creation of Monticello and a dynamic community previously unimagined.

The essays collected here address a rich variety of topics, from family histories (including the Hemingses) to the temporary slave community at Jefferson’s White House to stories of former slaves’ lives after Monticello. Each piece is characterized by Stanton’s deep knowledge of her subject and by her determination to do justice to both Jefferson and his slaves.

The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson

During his remarkable lifetime, Thomas Jefferson served his country in many capacities – among them, as President of the United States. But ultimately, this great and talented man – an accomplished architect, naturalist, and linguist – wished to be remembered primarily as the author of the Declaration of Independence.

In his autobiography, begun in 1821 at the age of 77, Jefferson presents a detailed account of his young life and the period during which he wrote the Declaration. A first draft of the document is included in this edition, as are his comments on the Articles of Confederation, his experiences as a wartime governor of Virginia, minister to France and observations during the French Revolution.

Also featured here are rich remembrances and insights as Jefferson recalls his roles as Washington’s secretary of state and vice president under John Adams, and his life in retirement.

If you enjoyed this guide to books on Thomas Jefferson, be sure to check out our list of The 10 Best Books on President George Washington !

The Essentials: Five Books on Thomas Jefferson

A Jefferson expert provides a list of indispensable reads about the founding father

Megan Gambino

Senior Editor

Historian Marc Leepson is the author of seven books, including Saving Monticello (2001), a comprehensive history of the house built by Thomas Jefferson and the hands it passed through since his death in 1826.

Here, Leepson provides a list of five must-reads for a better understanding of the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States.

Jefferson and His Time , by Dumas Malone

This classic biography of Thomas Jefferson, written by one of the most renowned Jefferson scholars, was published in six volumes over 33 years. It consists of Jefferson the Virginian (1948), covering his childhood through his drafting of the Declaration of Independence; Jefferson and the Rights of Man (1951), about his years as a minister to France and secretary of state; Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty (1962), leading up through his presidential election; Jefferson the President: First Term, 1801-1805 (1970) and Jefferson the President: Second Term, 1805-1809 (1974); and The Sage of Monticello (1981), about the last 17 years of his life, as his priorities changed from politics to family, architecture and education. In 1975, author Dumas Malone won the Pulitzer Prize for history for the first five volumes.

From Leepson: Malone is a Jefferson partisan, but his scholarship is impeccable .

American Sphinx (1996), by Joseph J. Ellis

National Book Award winner Joseph J. Ellis’ newest book, First Family , takes on the relationship between Abigail and John Adams. But a decade and a half ago, the Mount Holyoke history professor made Thomas Jefferson—and his elusive, complicated and sometimes duplicitous nature—the subject of American Sphinx . “The best and worst of American history are inextricably entangled in Jefferson,” he wrote in the New York Times in 1997.

The book—one volume in length and written in layman’s terms—is perhaps a more digestible read than Malone’s series. “While I certainly hope my fellow scholars will read the book, and even find the interpretation fresh and the inevitable blunders few, the audience I had in my mind’s eye was that larger congregation of ordinary people with a general but genuine interest in Thomas Jefferson,” writes Ellis in the preface.

From Leepson: An insightful, readable look at Jefferson’s character .

Twilight at Monticello (2008), by Alan Pell Crawford

Alan Pell Crawford, a former political speechwriter and Congressional press secretary who now covers history and politics, pored over archives across the country, at one point holding a residential fellowship at the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, to research this book. And the digging paid off. He found documents and letters of Jefferson’s relatives and neighbors, some never before studied, and pieced them together into a narrative of the president’s twilight years. During this far from restful period, Jefferson experienced family and financial dramas, opposed slavery on principle and yet, with slaves working on his own plantation, did not actively push to abolish it, and founded the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

From Leepson: The best treatment by far of Jefferson’s life post-presidency (1809-26) .

The Jefferson Image in the American Mind (1960), by Merrill D. Peterson

“The most important thing in my education was my dissertation,” said Merrill D. Peterson in 2005, about his time studying at Harvard in the late 1940s. Instead of researching the president’s life, Peterson focused on his afterlife, studying the lasting impact he had on American thought.

The idea became the basis of his first book, The Jefferson Image in the American Mind , published in 1960. And the book, which won a Bancroft Prize for excellence in American history, established Peterson as a Jefferson scholar. After stints teaching at Brandeis University and Princeton, Peterson filled the big shoes of Jefferson biographer Dumas Malone as the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History at the University of Virginia. He wrote Jefferson and the New Nation , a 1970 biography of the president, among other books, and edited the Library of America edition of Jefferson’s collected writings.

From Leepson: A revealing history of Jefferson’s historical reputation from the 1820s to the 1930s .

The Hemingses of Monticello (2008), by Annette Gordon-Reed

Harvard law and history professor Annette Gordon-Reed tells the story of three generations in the family of Sally Hemings, a slave of Thomas Jefferson’s thought to have bore him children. She starts with Elizabeth Hemings, born in 1735, who with Jefferson’s father-in-law, John Wayles, had Sally, and then follows the narrative through Sally’s children. Without historical evidence, no one can be certain of the nature of Jefferson’s relationship with Hemings. But Gordon-Reed argues that it was a consensual romance. She won the 2008 National Book Award for nonfiction, the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for history and, in 2010, a MacArthur “genius grant.”

From Leepson: No list would be complete without a book on Jefferson, slavery and the Hemings family. This is the best one .

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Megan Gambino is a senior web editor for Smithsonian magazine.

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History Books » American History » Books on American Presidents

The best books on thomas jefferson, recommended by andrew burstein.

Thomas Jefferson is famous for having written the Declaration of Independence, with its ringing claim that "all men are created equal". In modern times he has been castigated for hypocrisy, given his ownership of slaves and his failure to campaign for abolition. Here, historian Andrew Burstein discusses Jefferson's wider political career and whether it is fair to judge his attitude to slavery by contemporary standards.

Interview by Eve Gerber

Jefferson and the Virginians: Democracy, Constitutions, and Empire by Peter Onuf

Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry that Forged a Nation by John Ferling

Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles

Madison and Jefferson by Andrew Burstein & Nancy Isenberg

"Those Who Labor for My Happiness": Slavery at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello by Lucia Stanton

1 Jefferson and the Virginians: Democracy, Constitutions, and Empire by Peter Onuf

2 jefferson and hamilton: the rivalry that forged a nation by john ferling, 3 jefferson: architect of american liberty by john b. boles, 4 madison and jefferson by andrew burstein & nancy isenberg, 5 "those who labor for my happiness": slavery at thomas jefferson’s monticello by lucia stanton.

T he third president of the United States is our topic today. Before we get to the books, please introduce us to Thomas Jefferson.

We think of the early presidents as nationalists. But, in the early days of the Republic, Americans identified most strongly with their state and local communities. Jefferson represented the states’ rights strain that eventually grew into the defensive mentality that led the South to secede in 1860. So, there’s an interesting interplay in Jefferson’s life: at times he stood for the interests of Virginia, at others for the interests of the nation.

We don’t like the word imperialism now, but back then Jefferson’s efforts to expand America were massively popular and ‘American empire’ had a hopeful ring to it. He was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase, which more than doubled the territorial extent of the United States in the first years of the 19th century. He sent Lewis and Clark to explore the entire North American continent, crossing the as yet unknown Rocky Mountains, which helped Americans imagine becoming a nation that extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific. So Jefferson was very much a nationalist in his idea that the republic would extend itself 3,000 miles west.

Thomas Jefferson is one of the idols of what you call ‘founder worship’. A marble temple for him, in the shape of Rome’s Pantheon, was constructed on Washington’s National Mall and dedicated in 1939. At its center is a bronze 19-foot tall 10,000-pound statue of Jefferson. Why the pedestal?

Jefferson and the Virginians , your first recommendation, a book by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor at History at University of Virginia Peter S. Onuf, places our subject in the context of the state that shaped him.

The University of Virginia was founded by Jefferson. Peter inherited the mantle of senior Jefferson scholar at Mr. Jefferson’s university. His best-known book is the brilliantly conceived Jefferson’s Empire . Jefferson and the Virginians is his latest book, written since his retirement. The book examines Jefferson’s interactions with several prominent Virginians at different stages of his political career and helps us understand how Jefferson advanced his political agenda for the United States. It is divided into sections focused on Jefferson’s interactions with each of these individuals.

“When Jefferson was called ‘a democrat’, it was not a compliment.”

Onuf starts with Patrick Henry, a charismatic courtroom lawyer whose oratory fueled the Revolution in Virginia. He was the one who got people fired up in 1775-76 and he became the first governor of independent Virginia. Their relationship was initially friendly. Then, when Jefferson succeeded Henry as Governor, it turned adversarial. Henry opposed Jefferson’s legislative agenda in Virginia, especially when it came to what has since become known as the separation of church and state. So, Henry starts out as a hero of Jefferson and becomes a nemesis.

There’s another chapter about Jefferson and James Madison’s long political alliance, which began based on their common distrust of and opposition to Patrick Henry. Onuf distinguishes Jefferson’s abstract ideas from his practice of politics. He shows that Jefferson has an ecstatic approach to popular politics, whereas Madison, best known as ‘The Father of the Constitution’, was resistant to key elements of Jefferson’s performative democracy.

When people talk about ‘Jeffersonian democracy’, what do they mean?

Our next Thomas Jefferson book is Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry that Forged a Nation by historian John Ferling.

Ferling has written many books about the American Revolution; he has an encyclopedic knowledge of this period.

His Jefferson and Hamilton is a portrait in partisanship, a blow-by-blow account of the ideological contest between men with divergent visions. Jefferson feared centralization and a strong national government. Jefferson is, comparatively speaking, a states’-rights advocate. Hamilton believes in the strong central government. Jefferson is a Francophile and Hamilton is an Anglophile.

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Both Jefferson and Hamilton were underhanded in advancing their agendas. Hamilton revealed privileged information to a British representative, subverting Jefferson’s efforts, as secretary of state, to keep a distance from Britain. Jefferson wrote a long letter to Washington, in September 1792, trying to convince him that Hamilton was a monarchist intent on destroying the Republic. Jefferson and Hamilton went head-to-head in Washington’s cabinet. When Washington sided with Hamilton, Jefferson retired to his plantation. Hamilton ultimately got the better of Jefferson—until 1800.

Jefferson referred to his presidential election as the ‘Revolution of 1800’. It sounds grandiose. Please explain what he meant by that and how that fits in with the temperament you’re describing?

You call Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles the “best full-length Jefferson biography of the 21st century”. What makes this book the best life of Thomas Jefferson?

Let’s turn to another very well-written book, Madison and Jefferson by you and your partner Nancy Isenberg.

Madison and Jefferson had a personal and political partnership that lasted fifty years. These two men loved each other, respected each other, and enjoyed each other’s company. It’s an enduring 50 year partnership, which no one had written a book about since 1950.

It’s called Madison and Jefferson , rather than the other way around, because although Madison is generally thought of as Jefferson’s protégé, they were in all respects equals. You could say the Jefferson’s presidency was a co-presidency with Madison, his secretary of state. People think of Madison as the cerebral father of the Constitution, which is accurate, but he was also a power player in Congress, especially in the troubled 1790s, when he held political seniority. Madison was instrumental in forging the anti-Hamilton political interest in Congress that ultimately backed Jefferson. There was nothing Jefferson did not consult Madison on.

The book identifies awkward truths that generations of patriotic mythmakers have avoided facing. It’s a story of country gentlemen practicing hardball politics. We think of democracy as something open and above board, but both Madison and Jefferson came to believe that political progress was best arranged in secret.

You show that Jefferson was a person for whom friendship had a public purpose, as well as a private purpose. He drew so much from his partnership with Madison and in later life, from his correspondence with his former nemesis, John Adams. Should we remember Jefferson as among America’s most successful political users?

Well, he had many lifelong friendships, and he knew how to use them to his advantage. He used his pen to mold opinion, to build alliances, and to forge plans sometimes in coded letters or in small conclaves. Then he and Madison presented pre-formed plans to Congress. Jefferson goaded his allies to enact his political will.

It is impossible, at least for me, to think about any aspect of Thomas Jefferson without turning to the fact that his life of luxury, leisure and civic involvement was made possible by slavery. I look forward to hearing about the 600 enslaved individuals whose labor gave Jefferson liberty.

In Democracy’s Muse , I write about how, from FDR to the present, every president and many members of Congress have quoted Jefferson to advance their own partisan agendas. His words were heroic. But he was someone who had inherited from his father and from his father-in-law a couple of hundred African Americans as property. That’s the world he was born into.

“When I lecture, I use the term ‘timid abolitionist’”

The question is: Why didn’t he do more to bring it to an end? He wrote about slavery as a sin, boldly, in the early 1780s. He wrote that slavery destroyed the virtue of white kids, who, growing up, had to learn the attitudes that embodied mastery. When I lecture, I use the term ‘timid abolitionist’ which is to say Jefferson wasn’t going to say anything more in public than what he wrote when he was young when he hoped that Virginia’s Legislature would find a way to eradicate slavery. He left the task of getting rid of this evil to the next generation.

We focus on Jefferson as the man who should’ve done more. But Washington was president for eight years and he didn’t lift a finger to free African Americans in his lifetime. He did free his slaves in his will, but it wasn’t immediate. Those slaves were only freed after his widow, Martha, died.

John Adams wrote the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution and Declaration of Rights, including the statement that “all men are born free and equal” which provided the basis for Massachusetts courts to abolish slavery in 1783. Prior to that he represented African Americans in suits to win their freedom. He hired freedmen and never enslaved labor.

Nancy and I just wrote a book about John and John Quincy Adams called The Problem of Democracy . It does distinguish the Adams family from the Virginian founders. In New England, they didn’t grow up around slaves. A New Englander might’ve had a household slave or one person who helped in the field. None of the New England states held as slaves more than 1-2% of its population at any time. In Virginia that figure was around 40%.

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Virginians’ economic well-being depended on slavery. Yet some in the state did work to find an end to slavery by compensating owners for their loss of property—a bill promoted by Jefferson’s grandson that nearly passed the Virginia legislature in 1832. Jefferson said that blacks and whites could never live together peacefully, because of understandable black resentments as well as white prejudices. This is what a majority of white early Americans probably believed. So, we would have to indict his entire generation and the entire leadership group for greed and a collective failure to cure their society of a species of injustice and immorality we find ugly and impossible to reconcile.

That brings us to Lucia Stanton’s “Those Who Labor for My Happiness”: Slavery at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.

This book represents the consummation of Stanton’s career researching the history of plantation slavery. It traces the lives of the extended families of Monticello over generations. Annette Gordon-Reed’s work on the connection between Jefferson and the Hemings family won a Pulitzer. Stanton’s work, as a senior researcher at Monticello for decades, laid a foundation for what Annette wrote. Stanton pretty much started from scratch in reconstructing the world of the slaves and free laborers in Jefferson’s neighborhood.

The only slaves freed in Jefferson’s will were part of the Hemings family. In 1997, DNA effectively proved they were his children. Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman who was the biological half-sister of Thomas Jefferson’s wife, gave birth to several of Jefferson’s children. Stanton traces the Hemings family from Jefferson’s plantation to their post-emancipation lives in Ohio. It’s a marvelously interesting story about the diaspora of Jefferson’s house servants, how they made lives for their descendants, their work and professional accomplishments.

What about the other enslaved people? What was the nature of their lives and labor? How did they produce Jefferson’s wealth?

In this book, you meet people who worked in Jefferson’s house. The field laborers’ names were recorded but their lives went unrecorded.

Jefferson spoke of his servants as his “family”. They learned marketable skills. Sally, for example, was a seamstress. One of Sally’s brothers was a chef, another a brewer. Jefferson’s white grandchildren taught members of the Hemings clan how to read and write. One of Jefferson’s granddaughters, Ellen, moved to Boston and became a critic of slavery and she wrote to Jefferson about her objections. She maintained correspondence with the Hemings family; one named a child after Ellen. So, there was clearly fondness felt, something more than a master-servant relationship. Stanton is so good at teasing all this out.

In 2020, a descendant of Jefferson’s, Lucian Truscott IV, opined that the Jefferson Memorial is a monument to “a man who famously wrote that ‘all men are created equal’ in the Declaration of Independence that founded this nation—and yet never did much to make those words come true.” Fair assessment?

Yes, it’s fair. But on the other hand, as I tried to explain before, we have to indict the whole generation for its collective failure, you can’t place the brunt of America’s responsibility on the shoulders of one individual. Are we going to celebrate only those very few people who took an economic hit by freeing their slaves when everyone knew that slavery was evil? That’s a rather narrow way to examine history.

We cannot extract Jefferson from Virginia or the fact that he inherited 200 slaves and died a hundred thousand dollars in debt, which is in the neighborhood of $6 million today. Jefferson is always going to be a man of the 18th century and we can’t impose our moral expectations on men of the 18th century.

June 21, 2021

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20 Best Books on Thomas Jefferson (2022 Review)

September 16, 2020 by James Wilson

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When asked to look back on some of the most well-known and famous presidents of the United States, the third president Thomas Jefferson is often one of the first to come to mind. Thomas Jefferson served as president between the years 1801 to 1809, and before that, served a term as the Vice President. While he was known for this, he holds even higher esteem in history books as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

What are the Best Thomas Jefferson Books to read?

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History

There are some common facts known about Thomas Jefferson in this way, but much like any renowned historical figure, there are little details about his life, work and strategies that remain unknown. Books about Thomas Jefferson have been printed again and again, each with its own bits of knowledge to take away. When it comes to finding the book on Thomas Jefferson that will interest you most, there are a few things to take into consideration.

No matter what sort of issues surrounding Jefferson pique your interests, there is a book out there for you, and this Thomas Jefferson buying guide will help you find it. With these books, you can uncover the truth in the myths surrounding him and understand some of the most important facts about the Founding Father himself.

Best Books on Thomas Jefferson: Our Top 20 Picks

Here are some of the best Thomas Jefferson books that you can consider to expand your knowledge on the subject:

1. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History

During the time that Thomas Jefferson started his presidency in the year 1801, the brand new nation of America was already in deep debt and was in need of a swiftly growing economy. To make matters worse, its merchant ships were constantly under siege by pirate ships from North Africa that regularly kidnapped American sailors and took them as slaves and hostages, demanding ransoms higher than what the budding nation could afford to pay.

Because Jefferson found it next to impossible to negotiate with these pirates who showed little mercy for religious reasons, he moved past diplomacy, sending warships to fend off the Tripoli pirates and ultimately taking the first strides of America’s journey toward becoming a future superpower.

All of this is detailed in the book through exciting chapters that document events like cannon battles on the sea, night raids of enemy harbors and General Eaton’s 500-mile journey to the port of Derna from Egypt where, after a surprise attack, the American flag stood victorious on foreign land for the very first time.

Authors : Brian Kilmeade (Author), Don Yaeger (Author)
Publisher : Sentinel; Illustrated Edition (October 24, 2017)
Pages : 304 pages

2. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

From Pulitzer prize winning author Jon Meacham comes Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power , an in-depth biography of Thomas Jefferson that deals with the man’s time on Earth in vivid detail, chronicling him through his extraordinary life and all of the feats that came with him. The book shows Thomas Jefferson as a complex and compelling man who spend his life engaged in wars, blending his philosophical mind with the skill of a politician to help get America off on the right foot to becoming what it is today.

This biography takes a deeper look at Jefferson as we know him today, showing the inner workings of his mind and his understanding of human nature and humanity as a whole, approaching the difficult tasks of the president of a fledgling nation while touching on his passions that included books, family, architecture, gardens, Paris and even women, painting a wholly human picture of the Founding Father.

Authors : Jon Meacham (Author)
Publisher : Random House; Illustrated Edition (November 13, 2012)
Pages : 800 pages

3. The Jefferson Bible

Thomas Jefferson was famous for and talked about for many reasons, and perhaps one of the most peculiar was the fact that he essentially rewrote the Christian bible. In the book, you can see for yourself the man’s take on the bible itself, as even though he was not a devout Christian, still found himself inspired by some of the passages and uncomfortable with some of the others and sought to make it his own.

The Jefferson Bible is full of the words, passages and ideas that Jefferson believed to be the most important, writing in bits that resonated with him and leaving out things that didn’t. This is the original Government Printing Office 1904 edition of his version of the bible, the same one presented to members of Congress with its original Cyrus Adler introduction intact.

Authors : Thomas Jefferson (Author), Cyrus Adler (Introduction)
Publisher : Digireads.com (December 3, 2009)
Pages : 72 pages

4. The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson

Perhaps the most controversial book about Thomas Jefferson, the book is a highly argued-over book that underwent campaigns to stop its publication. Thought of as perhaps the very first history book to ever make history, this book tackled all of the various misconceptions about what had once been the beloved Founding Father and sought to shine light on the truths of his character. Cutting through the struggle of having the pages pulled from shelves, the book tears through the layers of political correctness that sought to change the image of the former president, deconstructing all of the myths surrounding the man and leaving in its wake information given through Jefferson’s own words and accounts from his close contemporaries at the time.

The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths answers questions about the rumors of his fathering a slave’s child, as well as potential racist ideologies and the idea that he even rewrote the bible to suit his beliefs.

Authors : David Barton (Author)
Publisher : WND Books; Reprint Edition (January 12, 2016)
Pages : 416 pages

5. Thomas Jefferson: Author of America (Eminent Lives)

Social critic and journalist Christopher Hitchens authors Thomas Jefferson: Author of America , a book that offers a provocative and brand new take on one of the most famous of the Founding Fathers of the United States. This biography takes a look at the author of the formative Declaration of Independence, given immense power through the creation of the document and as the ambassador to France when, really, all he wanted was a smaller, quieter place in the Virginia legislature.

The book explores the contrast present between Jefferson being an awkward public speaker but a masterful writer, showing his personality in a new light. The contrast continues in the way that he opposed slavery but still owned his own slaves. Thomas Jefferson: Author of America will surely give you an insight into the life and times of Jefferson in a way you’ve never before seen.

Authors : Christopher Hitchens (Author)
Publisher : Harper Perennial; Illustrated Edition (May 5, 2009)
Pages : 206 pages

6. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Anyone who has taken a few basic history classes knows the basics of Thomas Jefferson, including his role as a Founding Father and President of the United States; however, much like every human being, his life extended well past what he did for a living. Even for a man who did not want to live his life on the public stage, much of what he did was ultimately turned into a public affair. With so much information surrounding the life and times of Thomas Jefferson, the author of American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson delves into the rumors, facts, accounts and tales of him to give an insight into the mind of Thomas Jefferson himself.

In this book, you can learn little-known facts about him, like the fact that he only delivered two public speeches in his eight years serving, to smaller facts like he liked to constantly sing under his breath.

Authors : Joseph J. Ellis (Author)
Publisher : Vintage Books (April 7, 1998)
Pages : 440 pages

7. Thomas Jefferson Reprint Edition

Taking cues from the concise and straightforward epitaph on Thomas Jefferson’s tombstone, the Thomas Jefferson biography by R. B. Bernstein is just as straightforward and short, giving you an unbiased view of the Founding Father in a way that seeks to educate in a simple way. Between the covers of Thomas Jefferson , you will find all of Jefferson’s failings, triumphs and many contradictions spelled out that leave him as one of the most discussed people in history.

The book explores everything from his passionate belief in and desire to uphold democracy while also arguing toward reasons why slavery should still be permitted to his complicated relationship with Sally Hemings. More than just a Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson was an inventor, diplomat, architect, writer and more, and you’ll learn about all of his many roles in this biography.

Authors : R. B. Bernstein (Author)
Publisher : Oxford University Press; Illustrated Edition (September 15, 2005)
Pages : 253 pages

8. Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson

A principle author of the Declaration of Independence and one of America’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson is known as a main proponent of democracy and republicanism that drives the nation today. In Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson , you will learn about his passion for individual rights and his efforts toward helping the fledgling nation continue to break away from Great Britain to become their own entity.

The book explores his brief time practicing law and defending slaves to his representation in the American Revolution and his anonymous publications that sought to embolden those looking to strengthen states’ rights as he was so passionate about doing. Follow along with Jefferson’s timeline where he organized the Louisiana Purchase and fought off pirates while trying to work out the British trade policies and see why he is one of the most talked about historical figures to this day.

Authors : Thomas Jefferson (Author)
Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 6, 2017)
Pages : 98 pages

9. The Real Thomas Jefferson (American Classic Series)

One of the most central and important actors in America’s history and democracy, it would stand to reason that Thomas Jefferson is one of the most heavily discussed and debated historical figures in American history. In The Real Thomas Jefferson , you can get a clear and concise look at who Thomas Jefferson was as a person outside of just his political career.

Over the years, he has been both deified and vilified by authors and historians with different motivations. Author Andrew M. Allison takes an unbiased, facts-based look at the former president, using Jefferson’s own words to describe his life to allow his own spirit to shine through history instead of the biases of historians so you can form your own understanding of who the Founding Father as was a person, according to him.

Authors : Andrew M. Allison (Author)
Publisher : National Center for Constitutional Studies; 2nd Edition (June 1, 1983)
Pages : 709 pages

10. Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy

One of the most controversial and debated topics surrounding Thomas Jefferson’s life is the rumor that he was involved with Sally Hemings, one of his own slaves. In Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy , you can learn about all of the compelling arguments toward this purported relationship as well as the many inconsistencies within the stories, leaving you the ability to come to your own conclusions about this heavily debated topic.

The story begins in the early 1800’s and debunks the story from there with historians and scholars having their ideas challenged by biographers who heavily studied Jefferson’s character, beliefs and overall life long enough to give them substantial evidence against the claim. This telling and personal book takes a peek into the controversial topic in a way you’ve never read about it before.

Authors : Annette Gordon-Reed (Author)
Publisher : University of Virginia Press; Updated ed. Edition (March 29, 1998)
Pages : 320 pages

11. A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century

For educators in a professional and homeschooling environment alike, A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century is a book that will help you learn how to best teach your students through tried and true methods that have been proven to work.

The book takes a new approach to education thought to be the Thomas Jefferson approach that will help you craft an individualized leadership-based education plan by showing you the way that the greatest thinkers and leaders in history were taught to get your students in the right state of mind as they take in new information. Also detailed is the manner in which these men and women were educated and able to produce lasting impacts and effects on the country that are still felt today.

Authors : Oliver DeMille (Author)
Publisher : TJEdOnline.com; First Paperback Edition (September 1, 2009)
Pages : 198 pages

12. Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson compares and contrasts two of the prominent Founding Fathers and showcases all of the ways that they were different, both in their upbringing and in their differences in temperaments and ideals. Jefferson, a southern slave owner, has been painted as an optimist that had plenty of faith in the goodness present in people which could fuel their democracy, while Adam was a New England-born overachiever from the middle class that was skeptic about most people and held a rather elitist style review about government as a whole.

Though they worked closely together during the difficult times, their differences were too profound to ever truly come together, leaving them to hold interesting arguments against one another’s beliefs while at the same time rising to the top as figureheads for the budding political parties in America.

Authors : Gordon S. Wood (Author)
Publisher : Penguin Books; Reprint Edition (October 23, 2018)
Pages : 512 pages

13. The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams

Take a peek into the minds of two prominent founding fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, in The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams . In this compilation are numerous back and forth letters that show the high-minded, intellectual conversations between the two men spanning over half a century that offer insight into the type of thought processes that helped build the nation.

Between the pages are conversations of religion, government, philosophy and even deeply human and personal topics such as griefs and joys surrounding their respective families. The book features letters that were previously unpublished in other similar compilations, helping fill in the gaps and give you a clearer look at the exchanges between these two influential leaders up until the days of their deaths.

Authors : Lester J. Cappon (Editor)
Publisher : University of North Carolina Press; 1st Edition (September 30, 1988)
Pages : 690 pages

14. Thomas Jefferson : Writings : Autobiography / Notes on the State of Virginia / Public and Private Papers / Addresses / Letters (Library of America

One of the best ways to get to know historical figures is through the terms of their own words and ideas, written out by the men and women themselves, and in Thomas Jefferson : Writings : Autobiography/Notes on the State of Virginia/Public and Private Papers/Addresses/Letters , you get a firsthand look at the inner workings of Thomas Jefferson, one of the most famous Founding Fathers of America.

In between the pages of this book, you are given access to more than 287 letters as well as addresses to the public and both the original and the revised drafts of the Declaration of Independence—giving you plenty of insight into the way this great leader once thought and seeing how his various thought processes culminated in the ultimate success of his goals that are still felt today.

Authors : Thomas Jefferson (Author), Merrill D. Peterson (Editor)
Publisher : Library of America (August 15, 1984)
Pages : 1600 pages

15. Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty

In Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty , John B. Boles has taken on the ambitious endeavor of creating the most comprehensive biography of one of the nation’s most complex and hotly debated Founding Fathers. In the book, the author explores every available access to Thomas Jefferson’s life, taking note of even the smallest details all while keeping him appropriately situated against the remarkable levels of chaos and upheaval in his times to keep everything in perspective.

Through this book, you’ll meet Thomas Jefferson in his various forms, including Jefferson the scientist, architect, musician, gourmet chef and bibliophile to the more famous parts of him such as his status as the author of the Declaration of Independence, his part in the Louisiana Purchase and the way he worked hard for states’ rights.

Authors : John B. Boles (Author)
Publisher : Basic Books; 1st Edition (April 25, 2017)
Pages : 640 pages

16. Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History

Through the educated eyes of a novelist who has been studying Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History is a biography that tackles the many issues and thought processes that will help you understand the Founding Father through an unbiased scholarly lens. This book highlights different parts of his life, including the more famous aspects such as the writing of the Declaration of Independence, his ideas on revolution, race, love, religion and power, giving a comprehensive look at who he was as a person, not just as a political, revolutionary figurehead.

This novel also features a new introduction by the Pulitzer-Prize winning author Annette Gordo-Reed who talks about the impact of this book and why it is one of the most accurate and powerful accounts of what is arguably one of the greatest presidents of this country.

Authors : Fawn M. Brodie (Author), Annette Gordon-Reed (Introduction)
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated Edition (September 6, 2010)
Pages : 624 pages

17. Notes on the State of Virginia (Penguin Classics)

Understand the history of Thomas Jefferson through his own eyes in Notes on the State of Virginia authored by the man himself. In this book, you will learn about the time period through the words of Thomas Jefferson as he chronicles the social, political and natural history, giving you a look into the past from his perspective. Notes on the State of Virginia offers a unique look at what defines America as well as the Founding Father’s examination of what it really means to have freedom.

It is published by Penguin Classics, a renowned publisher with integrity and a history of publishing English-speaking classic literature. They work once again to provide you with authoritative texts that censor nothing and offer you notes and introductions that will help you further understand what you’re reading without interrupting the author.

Authors : Thomas Jefferson (Author), Frank Shuffelton (Editor)
Publisher : Penguin Classics; Annotated Edition (December 1, 1998)
Pages : 384 pages

18. Thomas Jefferson’s Education

While Thomas Jefferson was a famously complex man, there are usually only a select few themes that are explored when it comes to his life. In Thomas Jefferson’s Education , you can read directly about the historical events that led up to the eventual creation of his historic university and what sort of social climate this institution was built in.

While following the path to its creation, the book keeps you enveloped in the planters experiencing a decline in their business, the trials and tragedies of enslaved black families that were ripped apart by their sales, and the interesting intricacies of male honor. It includes the way he advocated for overall emancipation of slaves while being reluctant to give up his own and the way that he hypocritically supported education for white children but eventually just worked toward building this rather elite university.

Authors : Alan Taylor (Author)
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated Edition (October 15, 2019)
Pages : 448 pages

19. Thomas Jefferson: The American Presidents Series: The 3rd President, 1801-1809

It is believed that very few presidents have been as impactful as Thomas Jefferson both during the times he was alive and in the decades following. In Thomas Jefferson: The American Presidents Series , you can explore all of the reasons that he is considered to have been one of the greatest embodiments of the American spirit.

Being the originator of various principles that were crucial to the founding of American democracy, his ideals are ones that still ripple through time and reach us in the modern age, making them an important point of study for anyone interested in modern politics, such as his introduction of bills that mandated free public education and the separation of church and state. Follow along with the compelling words of historian Joyce Appleby as she examines all of the aspects of Jefferson’s character and life in an impactful new way.

Authors : Joyce Appleby (Author), Arthur M. Schlesinger (Editor)
Publisher : Times Books; First Edition (February 1, 2003)
Pages : 184 pages

20. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson Library Edition – Vol. 6 (of 20)

Commonly believed to be one of the finest, most compelling thinkers and activists in history, Thomas Jefferson, one of the most prominent founding fathers, is a topic of limitless interest, debate, and controversy. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson Library Edition is the sixth volume in a 20 volume continuation that breaks down all of the interesting aspects of his life for you to digest and ponder.

In this particular volume, you can learn more about Thomas Jefferson’s inner workings through the thoughts and ideas of the man himself delivered on a firsthand account through various mediums such as many of his letters and addresses that were written in the mid 1780s, as well as two biographical essays that will give you a third-party view on the firsthand information you’ve read.

Authors : Thomas Jefferson (Author), Taylor Anderson (Editor)
Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 13, 2017)

Choosing the Best Thomas Jefferson Books

Thomas Jefferson was a wildly complex man with inner workings every bit as interesting and compelling as the feats he performed on the public stage as the third President of the United States. Throughout the books listed here, you will learn remarkable tidbits and facts about one of the Founding Fathers, allowing you to see him in a new light not previously shone before. Each of these books presents new information on the president that will change your view of this famous president and allow you to see him for what he really was at the end of the day—a passionate human being.

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Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Research & Education
Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

Architecture

Kimball, Fiske, ed. Thomas Jefferson, Architect: Original Designs in the Coolidge Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society. New York: Da Capo Press, 1968. Originally published in 1916. The first academic study of Thomas Jefferson's architectural drawings; includes facsimiles of the drawings now in the Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Nichols, Frederick D. Thomas Jefferson's Architectural Drawings . Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1961; reprint , 1995. Contains a valuable checklist with brief descriptions of all known architectural drawings by Jefferson.
Nichols, Frederick D., and Ralph E. Griswold. Thomas Jefferson, Landscape Architect . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1978.
O'Neal, William B. Jefferson's Fine Arts Library: His Selections for the University of Virginia Together with His Own Architectural Books at Monticello . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1976.
Beiswanger, William L. Monticello in Measured Drawings . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1998. Text by Monticello's emeritus Robert H. Smith Director of Restoration, accompanied by reproductions of the measured drawings of Monticello done by the Historic American Buildings Survey.
McLaughlin, Jack. Jefferson and Monticello: The Biography of a Builder . New York: Holt, 1988. A useful narrative of the construction of Monticello.

Other Buildings

Chambers, S. Allen, Jr. Poplar Forest and Thomas Jefferson . Forest, Va.: Corporation for Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, 1993.
Hogan, Pendleton. The Lawn: A Guide to Jefferson's University . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1987.
Howard, Hugh. Thomas Jefferson, Architect: The Built Legacy of our Third President . New York: Rizzoli, 2003. Examines all of the known architectural works of Thomas Jefferson.
Kimball, Fiske. The Capitol of Virginia: A Landmark of American Architecture . Edited by Jon Kukla. Richmond: Virginia State Library and Archives, 1989.

Art and Music

Adams, William Howard, ed. Jefferson and the Arts: An Extended View . Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1976.
Berman, Eleanor Davidson. Jefferson Among the Arts: An Essay in Early American Aesthetics . New York: Philosophical Library, 1947.
Bush, Alfred L. The Life Portraits of Thomas Jefferson . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1962; rev. ed. , 1987.
Cripe, Helen C. Thomas Jefferson and Music . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1974; rev. ed. , Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 2009.
Cunningham, Noble E., Jr. The Image of Thomas Jefferson in the Public Eye: Portraits for the People, 1800-1809 . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1981.
Stein, Susan R. T he Worlds of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello . New York: Abrams, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1993.
Bernstein, Richard B. Thomas Jefferson . New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. A well-regarded one-volume biography; fairly short (253 pages).
Cunningham, Noble E., Jr. In Pursuit of Reason: The Life of Thomas Jefferson . Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1987. 414 pages. A reliable one-volume biography; tends to concentrate on Jefferson's public career.
Gordon-Reed, Annette, and Peter Onuf. "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs": Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination . New York: Liveright, 2016. A nuanced character study by two leading Jefferson scholars.
Jefferson, the Road to Glory, 1743 to 1776 . New York: Coward-McCann, 1943. 358 pp.
Jefferson, War and Peace, 1776 to 1784 . New York: Coward-McCann, 1947.
Jefferson, the Scene of Europe, 1784 to 1789 . New York: Coward-McCann, 1950.
Jefferson the Virginian . 1948. 484 pp.
Jefferson and the Rights of Man . 1951. 523 pp.
Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty . 1962. 545 pp.
Jefferson the President: First Term, 1801-1805 . 1970. 539 pp.
Jefferson the President: Second Term, 1805-1809 . 1974. 704 pp.
The Sage of Monticello . 1981. 551 pp.
Malone, Dumas. Thomas Jefferson: A Brief Biography . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1993. 48 pp. A reprint of Malone's 1933 essay on Jefferson for the Dictionary of American Biography, with a preface by Merrill Peterson.
Mayo, Bernard, ed. Jefferson Himself: The Personal Narrative of a Many-Sided American . Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1942; reprint , University Press of Virginia, 1970. 384 pp. This biography tells Jefferson's life story using excerpts from his own writings; highly readable.
Meacham, Jon. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power . New York: Random House, 2012.
Peterson, Merrill. Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation . New York: Oxford University Press, 1970. 1072 pp. "The best one-volume biography," according to Frank Shuffelton (editor of Thomas Jefferson: a Comprehensive, Annotated Bibliography ), although somewhat longer than others.
Padover, Saul K. Jefferson . New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1942. 459 pp. Abridged version reprinted by New American Library in 1952 and 1970.
Randall, Henry S. The Life of Thomas Jefferson . New York: Derby & Jackson, 1858. This is one of the first major biographies of Thomas Jefferson, for which the author interviewed members of Jefferson's family. Modern reprints are available. Also available online: vol. 1 , 2 , 3 .
Randolph, Sarah N. The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson . New York: Harper, 1871; reprints, 1939 (University Press), 1947 (Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation), 1958 (Frederick Ungar), 1967 (Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation), and 1978 (University Press of Virginia). Also available online . A sentimental but highly readable and entertaining biography by Jefferson's great-granddaughter.

Books and Libraries

Cole, John Y. Jefferson's Legacy: A Brief History of the Library of Congress . Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1993.
Gilreath, James, and Douglas L. Wilson, eds. Thomas Jefferson's Library: A Catalog with the Entries in His Own Order . Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1989. Online version available .
Sowerby, E. Millicent. Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson . Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1952-1959. Subsequently published by the University Press of Virginia in 1983. Online version available .
Wilson, Douglas L. Jefferson's Books . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 1996.
Dabney, Virginius. Mr. Jefferson's University: A History . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1981.
McDonald, Robert M.S., ed. Thomas Jefferson's Military Academy: Founding West Point . Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2004.
Ragosta, John (ed.), Onuf, Peter S. (ed.), O'Shaughnessy, Andrew (ed.). The Founding of Thomas Jefferson's University . Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2019.
Wagoner, Jennings L., Jr. Jefferson and Education . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 2004.
Wills, Gary. Mr. Jefferson's University . Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2002.
Betts, Edwin M., and James Bear, Jr., eds. The Family Letters of Thomas Jefferson . Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 1966; reprint , Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1986. Extensive (but not exhaustive) collection of transcribed letters between Thomas Jefferson, his children, grandchildren, and occasionally other relatives.
Kern, Susan. The Jeffersons at Shadwell . New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2010. 362 pp.
Kierner, Cynthia. Martha Jefferson Randolph, Daughter of Monticello: Her Life and Times . Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2014.
Langhorne, Elizabeth. Monticello, a Family Story . Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1987. 289 pp.
Mayo, Bernard, ed. Thomas Jefferson and his Unknown Brother . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1981. Brief introductory text and collected letters between Thomas Jefferson and his younger brother, Randolph .
Merrill, Boynton, Jr. Jefferson's Nephews: A Frontier Tragedy . Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky, 1987 (2nd ed.). A study of the two sons of Thomas Jefferson's sister Lucy Jefferson Lewis, and their involvement in a murder case in Kentucky in 1811-1812. Rich source of information on the extended Lewis-Jefferson family.
Randall, Henry S. The Life of Thomas Jefferson . New York: Derby & Jackson, 1857. This is one of the first major biographies of Thomas Jefferson, for which the author interviewed members of Jefferson's family. Modern reprints are available.
Randolph, Sarah N. The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson . New York: Harper, 1871; reprinted multiple times. Also available online . This book by Thomas Jefferson's great-granddaughter relates family stories about Thomas Jefferson and life at Monticello.
Shackelford, George Green, ed. C ollected Papers to Commemorate Fifty Years of the Monticello Association of the Descendants of Thomas Jefferson . Charlottesville, Va.: Monticello Association, 1965. 2 vols. These volumes contain biographical essays on many of Jefferson's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, along with genealogical information.
Yeck, Joanne. The Jefferson Brothers . Kettering, OH: Slate River Press, 2012. About Thomas Jefferson's brother Randolph, and their relationship with each other.

Food and Drink

Fowler, Damon Lee, ed. Dining at Monticello: In Good Taste and Abundance . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 2005. Includes essays by Monticello scholars on the food culture at Monticello, along with modernized versions of recipes from Jefferson family sources.
Gabler, James M. Passions: The Wines & Travels of Thomas Jefferson . Baltimore: Bacchus Press, 1995.
Hailman, John R. Thomas Jefferson on Wine . Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2006.
Kimball, Marie. Thomas Jefferson's Cook Book . Richmond: Garrett & Massie, 1938; reprinted multiple times. The recipes in Thomas Jefferson's Cook Book are from a manuscript inherited by descendants of Virginia Jefferson Randolph Trist . There are a few recipes recorded by Jefferson himself, but many of the recipes included are from non-Monticello sources.
Lawrence, R. de Treville, III. Jefferson and Wine: Model of Moderation . The Plains, Va.: Vinifera Wine Growers Association, 1989. A collection of essays by various scholars on Jefferson and wine.
Randolph, Mary. The Virginia House-Wife . Washington, D.C.: Davis and Force, 1824; reprinted multiple times. The 1984 edition edited by Karen Hess is the most widely available in print. This collection of recipes was written and published by a relative of the Jefferson family by marriage. Also available online . Be advised that editions published after Randolph's death in 1828 contain unauthorized additions and changes.

Gardening and Horticulture

Bemiss, Margaret Page. Historic Virginia Gardens: Preservation Work of the Garden Club of Virginia, 1975-2007 . Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2009. See especially Chapter 16, on the restoration of Monticello's gardens.
Betts, Edwin M., ed. Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book: With Commentary and Relevant Extracts from Other Writings . Princeton: Published for the American Philosophical Society by Princeton University Press, 1953; reprints, 1976, 1999. Contains a facsimile of Jefferson's farm Bbok, including information about farm operations, slaves, livestock, crops, manufactories, etc. Also includes brief articles and excerpts from relevant letters. The manuscript of the farm book is available online at the Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts , Massachusetts Historical Society.
Betts, Edwin M., ed. Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book, 1766-1824: With Relevant Extracts from His Other Writings . Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1944; reprints, 1985, 1999. Contains a facsimile of Jefferson's garden book, including information about flowers, trees, fruits, etc. Also includes brief articles and excerpts from relevant letters. The manuscript of the garden book is available online at the Coolidge Collection of Thomas J efferson Manuscripts , Massachusetts Historical Society.
Betts, Edwin M., and Hazlehurst Bolton Perkins. Thomas Jefferson's Flower Garden at Monticello . 3rd ed. Revised and enlarged by Peter J. Hatch. Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1986.
Hatch, Peter J. A Rich Spot of Earth: Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden . New Haven, C.T.: Yale University Press, 2012.
Hatch, Peter J. The Fruits and Fruit Trees of Monticello . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1998.
Hatch, Peter J. The Gardens of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1992; reprint , 1998.
McEwan, Barbara. Thomas Jefferson, Farmer . Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1991.

Garden History

Adams, Denise Wiles. Restoring American Gardens: An Encyclopedia of Heirloom Ornamental Plants, 1640-1940 . Portland: Timber Press, 2004.
Griffith, Lawrence D. Flowers and Herbs of Early America . New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2008.
Leighton, Ann. American Gardens of the Nineteenth Century: "For Comfort and Affluence." Amherst, Mass.: University of Massachusetts Press, 1987.
McMahon, Bernard. The American Gardener's Calendar . Philadelphia: B. Graves, 1806; reprint , Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 1997. Also available online .
Newcomb, Peggy Cornett. Popular Annuals of Eastern North America, 1865-1914 . Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1985.
Sarudy, Barbara Wells. Gardens and Gardening in the Chesapeake, 1700-1805 . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.

Celebrating Seventy-Five Years of Preservation and Education: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, Inc., 1923-1998 . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1998. Contains essays on the founding of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation and the history of restoration efforts at Monticello, as well as a chronology of the Foundation.
Cogliano, Francis D. Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy . Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2006. See especially Chapter 4, "Monticello."
West, Patricia. Domesticating History: The Political Origins of America's House Museums . Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1999. See Section 3, "Campaigning for Monticello," which examines the political background of the founding of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation.

Politics and Law

Bailey, Jeremy D. Thomas Jefferson and Executive Power . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Burstein, Andrew, and Nancy Isenberg. Madison and Jefferson . New York: Random House, 2010.
Cogliano, Francis D. Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson's Foreign Policy . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014.
Cunningham, Noble E., Jr. The Process of Government Under Jefferson . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1978.
Dewey, Frank L. Thomas Jefferson, Lawyer . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1986. This book has a helpful appendix listing all of the manuscript sources for Jefferson's legal practice.
Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
Ellis, Joseph J. What Did the Declaration Declare? Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
Freeman, Joanne B. Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001.
Horn, James P.P., Jan Lewis, and Peter S. Onuf, eds. The Revolution of 1800: Democracy, Race, and the Republic . Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2002.
Kaminski, John P. Thomas Jefferson: Philosopher and Politician . Madison, Wis.: Parallel Press, 2005.
Levy, Leonard W. Jefferson and Civil Liberties: The Darker Side . Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1963.
Mayer, David N. The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1994.
Meacham, Jon. In the Hands of the People. New York: Random House, 2020.
Onuf, Peter S. Jefferson's Empire: The Language of American Nationhood . Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 2000.
----. The Mind of Thomas Jefferson . Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2007.
Schwartz, Bernard. Thomas Jefferson and Bolling v. Bolling: Law & the Legal Profession in Pre-Revolutionary America . San Marino, Ca.: Huntington Library, 1997.
Sheehan, Bernard W. Seeds of Extinction: Jeffersonian Philanthropy and the American Indian . Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1973.
Sloan, Herbert E. Principle and Interest: Thomas Jefferson and the Problem of Debt . New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Steele, Brian Douglas. Thomas Jefferson and American Nationhood . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Adams, Dickinson W., ed. Jefferson's Extracts from the Gospels: "The Philosophy of Jesus" and "The Life and Morals of Jesus." Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1983. The introduction to this book, by the late Eugene Sheridan, is an excellent overview of Thomas Jefferson's religious development throughout his life. The book also contains facsimiles of Jefferson's two Bible compilations, and the full text of many of his letters in which he discusses religion.
Gaustad, Edwin S. Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson . Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1996.
Holmes, David. Faiths of the Founding Fathers . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. A good broad introduction to the religious faith of many of the Founding Fathers, including Franklin, Washington, Adams, Madison, Monroe, and Jefferson.
Jefferson, Thomas. The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, Extracted Textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French & English . Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2011. A faithful facsimile of Jefferson's second Bible compilation, with essays by Smithsonian staff on the history of the Bible and its conservation.
Peterson, Merrill D., and Robert C. Vaughn, eds. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: Its Evolution and Consequences in American History . Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Sanford, Charles B. The Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1984. An in-depth examination of Jefferson's religious beliefs.
Sheridan, Eugene R. Jefferson and Religion . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 1998. The text of this book, part of the Monticello Monograph series, is almost identical to the introduction to Jefferson's Extracts from the Gospels (above).
Spangler, Jewel L. Virginians Reborn: Anglican Monopoly, Evangelical Dissent, and the Rise of the Baptists in the Late Eighteenth Century . Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2008. A good study of the evolution of religion in Virginia, setting the stage for Jefferson's Statute for Religious Freedom .
Vicchio, Stephen J. Jefferson's Religion . Eugene, Or.: Wipf & Stock, 2007.
Waldman, Stephen. Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America . New York: Random House, 2008. Another good overview of the historical context of Jefferson's religious beliefs, as well as those of other contemporaries.

Science and Exploration

Bedini, Silvio A. Thomas Jefferson and His Copying Machines . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1984.
Bedini, Silvio A. Thomas Jefferson: Statesman of Science . New York: Macmillan, 1990. Contains some errors, but still useful.
Cohen, I. Bernard. Science and the Founding Fathers: Science in the Political Thought of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and James Madison . New York: W.W. Norton, 1995.
Cohen, I. Bernard, ed. Thomas Jefferson and the Sciences . New York: Arno Press, 1980. Reprinted articles.
Greene, John C. American Science in the Age of Jefferson . Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1984.
Jackson, Donald. Thomas Jefferson & the Stony Mountains: Exploring the West from Monticello . Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1981.
Miller, Charles A. Jefferson and Nature . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1988.
Ronda, James P. Thomas Jefferson and the Changing West . Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1997.
Thomson, Keith. Jefferson's Shadow: The Story of His Science . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012.

Slavery and the Enslaved Community at Monticello

Bear, James A., Jr., ed. Jefferson at Monticello . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1967. Reminiscences of a Monticello slave, Isaac Jefferson (Granger) and overseer Edmund Bacon .
Betts, Edwin M., ed. Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book: With Commentary and Relevant Extracts from His Other Writings . Princeton: Published for the American Philosophical Society by Princeton University Press, 1953; reprints, 1976, 1999. Contains a facsimile of Jefferson's farm book, including information about farm operations, slaves, livestock, crops, manufactories, etc. Also includes brief articles and excerpts from relevant letters, although the essay about slavery is outdated. The manuscript of the farm book is available online at the Coolidge Collection of Thomas J efferson Manuscripts , Massachusetts Historical Society.
Gordon-Reed, Annette. The Hemingses of Monticello . New York: W.W. Norton, 2008.
Miller, John Chester. The Wolf by the Ears: Thomas Jefferson and Slavery . New York: Free Press, 1977; reprint , 1991.
Onuf, Peter S., ed. Jeffersonian Legacies . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1993. Includes three essays on Jefferson and slavery.
Reed, Bernetiae. The Slave Families of Thomas Jefferson: A Pictorial Study Book with an Interpretation of his Farm Book in Genealogy Charts . Greensboro, N.C.: Sylvest-Sarah, Inc., 2007.
Smith, Clint. How the word is passed : A reckoning with the history of slavery across America . New York ; Boston ; London : Little, Brown and Company, 2021.
Stanton, Lucia C. Free Some Day: The African American Families of Monticello . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 2000.
---. Slavery at Monticello . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1996.
---. "Those Who Labor for My Happiness": Slavery at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello . Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2012.

More General Works on Slavery and African-American History

Genovese, Eugene D. Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made . New York: Pantheon, 1974.
Goodheart, Lawrence B., et al., eds. Slavery in American Society . Lexington, Mass.: Heath, 1993.
Kolchin, Peter. American Slavery, 1619-1877 . New York: Hill & Wang, 1994.
Morgan, Edmund S. American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia . New York: W.W. Norton, 1975.
Morgan, Philip D. Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in the Eighteenth-Century Chesapeake and Lowcountry . Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1998.
Swann-Wright, Dianne. A Way Out of No Way: Claiming Family and Freedom in the New South . Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2002.
Tate, Thad W. The Negro in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg . Williamsburg, Va.: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1965.
Wright, Donald R. African Americans in the Early Republic: 1789-1831 . Arlington Heights, Ill.: Harlan Davidson, 1993.

Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson

Gordon-Reed, Annette. Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1997.
Lewis, Jan Ellen, and Peter Onuf, eds. Sally Hemings & Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory & Civic Culture . Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1999.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Research Committee. Report on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 2000.

Thomas Jefferson's Writings

Bear, James A., Jr., and Lucia C. Stanton, eds. Jefferson's Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767-1826 . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997. 2 vols.
Betts, Edwin M., ed. Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book: With Commentary and Relevant Extracts from Other Writings . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1999.
Betts, Edwin M., ed. Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book, 1766-1824: With Relevant Extracts from His Other Writings . Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1999.
Betts, Edwin M., and James A. Bear, Jr., eds. Family Letters of Thomas Jefferson . Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 1966; reprint , 1986.
Boyd, Julian P. The Declaration of Independence: The Evolution of the Text . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1945.
Boyd, Julian P., and others, eds. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950-present. 41 vols.
Cappon, Lester J., ed. The Adams-Jefferson Letters . Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina: 1959; reprint , 1988.
Howell, Wilbur Samuel, ed. Jefferson's Parliamentary Writings . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988.
Jefferson, Thomas. The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1790 . New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1914; reprint , 2005.
Looney, J. Jefferson, et al., eds. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004-present. 11 vols.
Peden, William, ed. Notes on the State of Virginia . Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1954.
Peterson, Merrill D., ed. Thomas Jefferson: Writings . New York: Library of America, 1984. A good one-volume compilation of Jefferson's writings.
Smith, James Morton. The Republic of Letters: The Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, 1776-1826 . New York: W.W. Norton, 1995.
Wilson, Douglas, ed. Jefferson's Literary Commonplace Book . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.
Adams, William Howard. The Paris Years of Thomas Jefferson . New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997.
Dumbauld, Edward. Thomas Jefferson, American Tourist : Being an Account of His Journeys in the United States of America, England, France, Italy, the Low Countries, and Germany . Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1946; reprint , 1976.
Maguire, Robert J., ed. The Tour to the Northern Lakes of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, May-June 1791: A Facsimile Edition of Their Travel Journals . Ticonderoga, N.Y.: Fort Ticonderoga, 1995.
Moore, Roy, and Alma Moore. Thomas Jefferson's Journey to the South of France . New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1999.
Rice, Howard C. Thomas Jefferson's Paris . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976.
Shackelford, George Green. Thomas Jefferson's Travels in Europe, 1784-1789 . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.

About the Thomas Jefferson Foundation
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ADDRESS: 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway Charlottesville, VA 22902 GENERAL INFORMATION: (434) 984-9800

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Opinion The complex Thomas Jefferson in his place and time

Jonathan Yardley was the book critic of The Washington Post from 1981 to 2014.

In the spring of 1962, John F. Kennedy held a dinner at the White House for Nobel Prize laureates from nations of the Western Hemisphere. Opening his remarks, he rather famously said , "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone." Quite less famously, he continued, "Someone once said that Thomas Jefferson was a gentleman of 32 who could calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse, and dance the minuet."

That was April 1962, and that was how Jefferson was then viewed: as a man of astonishingly varied and sophisticated knowledge and accomplishments, a Founding Father to rank beside Washington and Franklin. Then, a dozen years later, came Fawn Brodie’s “Jefferson: An Intimate History,” an inquiry into Jefferson’s relations with his slaves, most specifically the possibility of sexual relations with the house servant Sally Hemings. It sold well for a work of ostensibly serious history, though it aroused passionate indignation among Jefferson loyalists in Virginia and elsewhere, and it set Jefferson on the downhill course he has followed ever since. As John B. Boles says at the outset of this magisterial biography:

Review: ‘Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power,’ by Jon Meacham

“Jefferson’s complexity renders him easy to caricature in popular culture. Particularly in recent years, Jefferson, long the hero of small d as well as capital D democrats, has seen his reputation wane due to his views on race, the revelation of his relationship with Sally Hemings, and his failure to free his own slaves. Once lauded as the champion of the little man, today he is vilified as a hypocritical slave owner, professing a love of liberty while quietly driving his own slaves to labor harder in his pursuit of luxury. Surely an interpretive middle ground is possible, if not necessary. If we hope to understand the enigma that is Thomas Jefferson, we must view him holistically and within the rich context of his time and place. This biography aims to provide that perspective.”

To say that it does so is massive understatement. “Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty” is perhaps the finest one-volume biography of an American president. Boles, a professor of history at Rice University, has spent many years studying Jefferson’s native American South in all its mysteries, contradictions, follies and outrages, as well as its unique contributions to the national culture and literature. This biography is the culmination of a long, distinguished career. I admire it so passionately that, almost 2 1/2 years into a happy retirement, I had no choice except to violate my pledge never again to write another book review.

To his study of this deeply controversial man, Boles brings an ample supply of what has been so lamentably missing in the discussion over the past half-century: a calm insistence on separating truth (so far as we can know it) from rumor and invective, and a refusal to judge a man who lived more than two centuries ago by the moral, ethical and political standards of today. Boles admires Jefferson and maintains a sympathetic attitude toward him through this long, immensely satisfying narrative, but he does not flinch when Jefferson’s behavior and attitudes seem, according to 21st-century standards, offensive at worst, inexplicable at best.

Because the focus in recent years has been almost entirely on Jefferson’s attitudes toward slavery and his actions regarding the several hundred slaves who fell under his ownership, it is important to recall that there was vastly more to his long life than this. In Boles’s “full-scale biography,” Jefferson is presented to us “in all his guises: politician, diplomat, party leader, executive; architect, musician, oenophile, gourmand, traveler; inventor, historian, political theorist; land owner, farmer, slaveholder; and son, father, grandfather.” Without smothering the reader under mountains of detail, Boles briskly but authoritatively takes Jefferson from his birth in Virginia in 1743 to his death, at home in his beloved Monticello, on the Fourth of July, 1826, several hours before the death in Massachusetts of his old friend and occasional rival, John Adams, that other great Founding Father.

As Boles notes, the world into which Jefferson was born was so different from our own that we are hard-pressed to imagine it, yet it was out of this distant world that our own eventually emerged, and Jefferson was at the very center as the transformation from colony to nation got under way. He wrote the immortal Declaration of Independence, which gave voice to the convictions and hopes that impelled his fellow colonists into revolution. At the end of his life he said the Declaration was one of his three singular accomplishments, the others being the enactment of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786) and the establishment of the University of Virginia a couple of years before his death.

‘Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings’ reimagines his illicit affair

He represented the new nation in Paris from 1784 to 1790, and while he was there delighted in and learned from the varied aspects of that city, whether musical or literary or architectural. In Philadelphia and New York, from 1790 to 1801, he participated in the formation of the new government and served a term as John Adams’s vice president, spending much of that term at Monticello, just as Adams spent much of his term at his Massachusetts home. He then sought and won the presidency in February 1801 in a breathtakingly close vote in the House of Representatives.

The accomplishments of his presidency are well known, most notably the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the Lewis and Clark expedition to the far West, though his second term was less successful than his first. He lived for more than a decade and a half after it ended, and while he continued to be active in the public lives of his nation and state, he found his greatest pleasures in Monticello and within the bonds of the family to which he was utterly devoted. His wife, Martha, had died in 1782, pleading with him on her deathbed not to marry again, a request that he honored willingly but one that probably had much to do with his later escape into the arms of Hemings.

Thanks largely to the diligent research of Annette Gordon-Reed and the two books that emerged from it, "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings" (1997) and " The Hemingses of Monticello " (2008), we now know almost certainly as much as we ever will about this essentially mysterious connection. We do know that Hemings "gave birth to five children," that Jefferson "was demonstrably present at Monticello nine months prior to each of these births" and that one of her children bore an almost uncanny resemblance to Jefferson. Gordon-Reed "argues that Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, as unlikely as it might seem, probably had genuine mutual affection," which if true can only leave us all the more puzzled by "his failure to emancipate his own slaves or work actively to end slavery completely." Boles writes:

“Activists in Jefferson’s time . . . much less the abolitionists who emerged soon after his death, could not accept such a patient approach; nor can modern readers. Jefferson’s willingness to wait tells us a great deal about his character and also about his era, his race, and his class. As a wealthy white man, he saw little need for urgency; he believed, rather, that in God’s good time, emancipation would somehow be effected. In no other aspect of his life does Jefferson seem more distant from us or more disappointing.”

Disappointing, to be sure, but also understandable. He was a creature of his own time, not of ours, and at the end of this superb, utterly riveting biography, Boles strikes exactly the right note. He describes the “simple obelisk” erected over Jefferson’s grave at Monticello and then says: “It was a simple marker for a man of vast accomplishments and complexities, the supreme spokesman of America’s promise. Ironically, today he is often found wanting for not practicing the principles he articulated best. Yet Jefferson, despite his limitations, more than anyone else was the intellectual architect of the nation’s highest ideals. He will always belong in the American pantheon.”

Architect of American Liberty

By John B. Boles

Basic. 626 pp. $35

The 7 Best New Movies Coming to Prime Video in May 2024

Romantic comedies, Oscar-winning dramas, and more populate Prime Video's May 2024 slate.

Prime Video just keeps pumping out plenty of new original films and classic award-winners for its May 2024 lineup of movies. In April 2024, Prime Video introduced plenty of new hits to the platform , including the 1980s action classic Top Gun , the ambitious experimental musical Música , the Oscar-winning dramedy The Holdovers , and much more. The solid collection continues the regular consistency of Prime Video, which has yet to fail in bringing dozens of new movies to its service every month.

May 2024 is no exception. This month, subscribers can expect to see an anticipated new romantic comedy, some Oscar-winning dramas, a visually stunning documentary, and much more. To find out what movies you can expect to see from Prime Video for May 2024, here are seven examples that you'll be able to stream this May.

'Some Like it Hot'

Starting things off strong with an all-time comedic classic is Some Like It Hot . Easily one of the funniest films ever made, Some Like It Hot has stood the test of time and then some. Directed by legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder and featuring a trio of stars including Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe and comedic duo Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon , the film is a brilliant satire on the life and politics of the 1920s Prohibition era. At the center are musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon, who, in an attempt to escape the law and the mob, put on some dresses and wigs and put on some dresses to join an all-female band.

Some Like it Hot will be available to stream on Prime Video on Wednesday, May 1 .

Some Like It Hot

After two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.

Watch on Prime Video

'The Idea of You'

One of the biggest original movies coming to Prime Video this month, The Idea of You , tells a somewhat unconventional love story . Single mother Solène ( Anne Hathaway ) is starting to feel lost in the world until she has a chance encounter with a young boy band member named Hayes Campbell ( Nicholas Galitzine ). She doesn't think much of it after meeting him at one of his concerts, but Solène is shocked when Hayes shows up at her art gallery one day. Some may criticize the couple for their age difference, with Solène being forty and Hayes being twenty-four, but that doesn't stop their whirlwind romance from swirling.

The Idea of You will be available to stream on Prime Video on Thursday, May 2 .

The Idea of You (2024)

Solène, a 40-year-old single mom, begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.

'American Fiction'

One of 2023's best films, American Fiction is a brilliant, hysterical, and heartbreaking look into the state of modern storytelling, particularly when it comes to telling black stories. Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison ( Jeffrey Wright ) does not write about racial issues in his many novels, but the publishers he's pitching seem to only be interested in stereotypical stories about the black experience. It's a creatively stunting experience, but then tragedy strikes Monk's family. To vent his frustrations with the world, Monk writes one of those books as a joke under a pseudonym, only for that to become his most successful published work ever.

American Fiction will be available to stream on Prime Video on Tuesday, May 14 .

American Fiction

A novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

'BlacKkKlansman'

On the same day, American Fiction hits Prime Video, another acclaimed Oscar-winning drama about race relations in America will arrive with BlacKkKlansman . Widely considered to be Spike Lee 's best film since Do the Right Thing , BlacKkKlansman tells the incredible true story of how a black man infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. Up-and-coming police officer Ron Stallworth ( John David Washington ) successfully dupes the KKK, including their infamous leader David Duke ( Topher Grace ), into thinking that he's a willing recruit to their racist cause. With him providing the voice over the phone and his partner, Flip Zimmerman ( Adam Driver ), functioning as his in-person double, Ron Stallworth uncovers a horrifying conspiracy being perpetrated by one of the country's most notorious hate groups.

BlackKklansman will be available to stream on Prime Video on Tuesday, May 14 .

BlacKkKlansman

'creed'.

Creed isn't just a great Rocky sequel. It's quite possibly the best entry in the entire Rocky franchise. A bold statement to be sure, but the journey Adonis Creed ( Michael B. Jordan ) embarks on to become a skilled boxer in his own right breaths new life into a long-dormant franchise. The film follows the son of the late Apollo Creed ( Carl Weathers ) as he sets out to become a respected fighter in the boxing world, with the help of Apollo's arch-rival turned best friend, Rocky Balboa ( Sylvester Stallone ).

Creed will be available to stream on Prime Video on Thursday, May 16 .

'The Blue Angels'

Anyone familiar with fighter jets has probably heard of "The Blue Angels" . The flight squadrons of the Navy and the Marine Corps have been performing air shows across the country since the mid-1940s, and now a documentary film all about the next generation of pilots is set to hit the streaming platform this month. Can't wait for the premiere date? Well, select IMAX theaters will be playing the new documentary for those who want to experience the sights and sounds of the flight squadron as if one were watching them in person.

The Blue Angels will be available to watch in theaters on Friday, May 17th, and will be available to stream on Prime Video on Thursday, May 23 .

'The Boys in the Boat'

The Boys in the Boat is an uplifting true story of an underdog group of Olympic athletes amid the shadows of World War II and The Great Depression. Directed by George Clooney , the film centers around the rowing team at the University of Washington. Despite near-impossible odds, the team's grit and determination led to them making it to the 1936 Olympics, where they'd hopefully win far more than just a gold medal.

The Boys in the Boat will be available to stream on Prime Video on Tuesday, May 28 .

The Boys in the Boat

A 1930s-set story centered on the University of Washington's rowing team, from their Depression-era beginnings to winning gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

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Biography of Thomas Jefferson,3rd U.S. President.History of America
Thomas Jefferson: Philosopher Of Freedom

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Best biography of Thomas Jefferson? : r/AskAnAmerican
Jefferson didn't write an autobiography as far as I'm aware. 'Jefferson and His Time' is the most comprehensive biography, but it's also six volumes. 'American Sphinx' is probably the best one volume biography, albeit with some controversy around Ellis' views on the Sally Hemmings issue.
Good Thomas Jefferson Biography : r/AskHistorians
Posted by u/Magic_Pancake - 6 votes and 2 comments
The Best Biographies of Thomas Jefferson
For readers seeking a traditional biography of Jefferson it is not ideal. ( Full review here) Best Overall: Dumas Malone's six-volume series. Most Enjoyable Biography: " Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power ". Best Single-Volume Biography: " Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty ".
The 10 Best Books on President Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade. When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa's Barbary Coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as ...
Looking for a good Thomas Jefferson bio. Anyone read this one ...
23M subscribers in the books community. This is a moderated subreddit. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage in-depth discussion about…
The Essentials: Five Books on Thomas Jefferson
November 8, 2011. Five must-read books on Thomas Jefferson from author Marc Leepson. AP Photo / Richmond Times-Dispatch, Stuart T. Wagner. Historian Marc Leepson is the author of seven books ...
My favorite books on Thomas Jefferson from a historian's view
Peterson was Peter Onuf's predecessor as the Thomas Jefferson Chair at the University of Virginia. He was the author of two landmark studies of Jefferson—a one-volume biography, Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation, probably the best single-volume biography of Jefferson, and The Jefferson Image in the American Mind.
The best books on Thomas Jefferson
2 Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry that Forged a Nation by John Ferling. 3 Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles. 4 Madison and Jefferson by Andrew Burstein & Nancy Isenberg. 5 "Those Who Labor for My Happiness": Slavery at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello by Lucia Stanton.
The most recommended Thomas Jefferson books
Peterson was Peter Onuf's predecessor as the Thomas Jefferson Chair at the University of Virginia. He was the author of two landmark studies of Jefferson—a one-volume biography, Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation, probably the best single-volume biography of Jefferson, and The Jefferson Image in the American Mind.
20 Best Books on Thomas Jefferson (2022 Review)
12. Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Check Price on Amazon. Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson compares and contrasts two of the prominent Founding Fathers and showcases all of the ways that they were different, both in their upbringing and in their differences in temperaments and ideals.
The Best Thomas Jefferson Biographies
by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America was deeply in debt, with its economy and dignity under attack. Pirates from North Africa's Barbary Coast routinely captured American merchant ships and held the sailors as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new country ...
Suggested Reading List
Thomas Jefferson: A Brief Biography. Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1993. 48 pp. A reprint of Malone's 1933 essay on Jefferson for the Dictionary of American Biography, with a preface by Merrill Peterson. Mayo, Bernard, ed. Jefferson Himself: The Personal Narrative of a Many-Sided American.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.Following the American Revolutionary War and prior to becoming president in 1801, Jefferson was the nation's first U.S ...
How r/Presidents would vote in every election: Thomas ...
Thomas Jefferson won against John Adams, with 77 upvotes. (Also if you wanted to know, Mr. Beat is the creator of the photos I've been using for this…
thomas jefferson was a child rapist and should be unpersoned ...
i think that america needs to stop treating thomas jefferson as a good person and should make every effort possible to scrub his name from it's history. since the declaration of independence was authored by him, it should be repealed. his name should be removed from all political documents at the time. montcecello should be bulldozed to the ...
Thomas Jefferson by R.B. Bernstein
R.B. Bernstein. 4.03. 4,817 ratings155 reviews. Thomas Jefferson designed his own tombstone, describing himself simply as "Author of the Declaration of Independence and of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia." It is in this simple epitaph that R.B. Bernstein finds the key to this enigmatic ...
How r/Presidents would vote in every election: John Adams vs ...
Thomas Jefferson. I wasn't here for the first 3 elections, so I'll answer for those here: 1788: George Washington 1792: George Washington 1796: Thomas Jefferson Edit: looks like there wasn't posts for the first 2 elections, understandably.
Opinion
The complex Thomas Jefferson in his place and time. By Jonathan Yardley. May 12, 2017 at 12:20 p.m. EDT. Thomas Jefferson's legacy has been clouded by his attitudes toward slavery. But John B ...
Best New Movies on Amazon Prime Video in May 2024
The Idea of You (2024) Solène, a 40-year-old single mom, begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. Release ...

My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies

The Best Biographies of Thomas Jefferson

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The 10 Best Books on President Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade

American Sphinx by Joseph J. Ellis

Jefferson and Hamilton by John Ferling

Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles

Madison and Jefferson by Andrew Burstein

Friends Divided by Gordon S. Wood

Jefferson and the Virginians by Peter Onuf

“Those Who Labor For My Happiness” by Lucia Stanton

The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson

The Essentials: Five Books on Thomas Jefferson

History Books » American History » Books on American Presidents

Jefferson and the Virginians: Democracy, Constitutions, and Empire by Peter Onuf

Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry that Forged a Nation by John Ferling

Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles

Madison and Jefferson by Andrew Burstein & Nancy Isenberg

"Those Who Labor for My Happiness": Slavery at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello by Lucia Stanton

1 Jefferson and the Virginians: Democracy, Constitutions, and Empire by Peter Onuf

20 Best Books on Thomas Jefferson (2022 Review)

Best Books on Thomas Jefferson: Our Top 20 Picks

1. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History

2. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

3. The Jefferson Bible

4. The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson

5. Thomas Jefferson: Author of America (Eminent Lives)

6. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

7. Thomas Jefferson Reprint Edition

8. Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson

9. The Real Thomas Jefferson (American Classic Series)

10. Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy

11. A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century

12. Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

13. The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams

14. Thomas Jefferson : Writings : Autobiography / Notes on the State of Virginia / Public and Private Papers / Addresses / Letters (Library of America

15. Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty

16. Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History

17. Notes on the State of Virginia (Penguin Classics)

18. Thomas Jefferson’s Education

19. Thomas Jefferson: The American Presidents Series: The 3rd President, 1801-1809

20. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson Library Edition – Vol. 6 (of 20)

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